


The Revolution Has Begun

by FiveDollarMixtape



Series: The Revolution Was His Sin [1]
Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Except for a few cats, I don't regret anything, I regret my whole fucking life, I'm a nerd, Lots of herbs, MossClan is full of dicks, Other, StarClan, There are characters based off of Doctor Who characters, and Sherlock characters, and Supernatural characters, just kidding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-09
Updated: 2017-01-15
Packaged: 2018-06-07 11:23:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 25,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6801760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FiveDollarMixtape/pseuds/FiveDollarMixtape
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>MossClan has always been judgemental: any cat that they have decided has a weakness is either kicked out when they are old enough to survive on their own or forced to become a Medicine Cat.  Foxkit was born with fur that is an extremely bright shade of red.  She'll never be able to hunt or fight without being seen before she attacks, and MossClan hates her for it.  How is she going to help her Clan when her fur is so bright? {Formerly: A Fox's Light Shines Through}</p><p>REWRITING</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Allegiances

**Author's Note:**

> This is based off of a challenge I wrote for the Children of the Shadows forum on FFN. I decided to make a full story out of it :D Also, I’m aware that this is a cliche for the Warriors fandom, but I’m going to write it anyway. Also, this is a bit of a side story for my Tribe story, Sins and Virtues. Expect the name to be changed at some point.

**M O S S C L A N**

**Leader-** **SPARKSTAR:** A light and dark gray tabby tom with golden eyes

 **Deputy-** **BLAZESTORM:** A ginger tom with dark gray eyes

 **Medicine Cat-** **MOONLEAF:** A pure white she-cat with dark green eyes

**Warriors-**

**CLOUDWHISKER:** A white and light gray tabby tom with pale blue eyes

 **FEATHERFIRE:** A black she-cat with ginger paws and muzzle and silver eyes

_Apprentice: Songpaw_

**SNOWLEOPARD:** A white tom with black spots and amber eyes

 **SPIRITBREEZE:** A silver she-cat with rare, violet eyes

_Apprentice: Waterpaw_

**ASHFLARE:** A dark gray tom with amber eyes

 **FROSTRAIN:** A white tom with green eyes

 **GOLDENAPPLE:** A small, russet colored she-cat with golden eyes

_Apprentice: Amberpaw_

**RUSHSONG:** A gray she-cat with blazing amber eyes

_Apprentice: Ghostpaw_

**ROSELEAF:** A sandy colored she-cat with dark eyes

_Apprentice: Flowpaw_

**STORMFLAME:** A brown tom with blue eyes

_Apprentice: Chesterpaw_

**RAVENSIGHT:** A dark brown, almost black tom with pale green eyes

_Apprentice: Fallenpaw_

**SWIFTEAGLE:** A light brown tom with dark eyes

 **Appr** **entices-**  

 **SONGPAW:** A light gray and white tabby she-cat with blue eyes

 **WATERPAW:** A blue-gray tom with amber eyes

 **AMBERPAW:**  A ginger she-cat with green eyes

 **GHOSTPAW:** A dark gray tom with blind looking blue eyes

 **FLOWPAW:** A white and blue-gray tabby tom with blue eyes

 **CHESTERPAW:** A black tom with bright green eyes

 **FALLENPAW:** A large, brown tom with dark green eyes

**Queens-**

**HEARTFALL:** A light brown she-cat with black paws and ears with amber eyes

 **WILLOWLIGHT:** A light gray she-cat with dark blue eyes

**Kits-**

**LONEKIT:** Silver she-cat with white paws, ears, muzzle, tail tip and amber, almost golden eyes

 **FOXKIT:** A thick furred, bright red she-cat with black ear tips and tail tip with amber eyes

**L E A F C L A N**

**Leader-** **STREAMSTAR:** A blue-gray she-cat with silver eyes

 **Deputy-** **EMBERSOUL:** A large, brown tom with ember flecks in his fur and one green eye and one blue eye

 **Medicine Cat-** **FALCONCLAW:** A gray tom with ice blue eyes

**Warriors-**

**SKYGRASS:** A brown tabby tom with blue eyes

_Apprentice: Rabbitpaw_

**SWALLOWFLIGHT:** A gray-brown tabby she-cat with a white chest, muzzle, paws and tail-tip; amber eyes

_Apprentice: Cricketpaw_

**SAGEFOOT:** A dark gray tom with lighter gray paws

_Apprentice: Snowypaw_

**FINCHFEATHER:** A brownish red she-cat with blue eyes

 **ROBINWING:** A brownish red tom with amber eyes 

 **THORNFUR:** A small, brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes

_Apprentice: Frogpaw_

**ROSEPETAL:** A reddish cream and white she-cat with green eyes

 **MUDPELT:** A dark brown tom with green eyes

**Apprentices-**

**SNOWYPAW:** A feathery, white furred she-cat with golden eyes

 **RABBITPAW:** A white furred she-cat with light and dark gray patches and amber eyes

 **CRICKETPAW:** A small, black she-cat with green eyes

 **FROGPAW:** A shiny, black furred tom with white flecks and forest green eyes

**Queens-**

**Elders-**

**WATEREYES:**  A plump, black cat with blue eyes

 **BEAREYES:** A black and brown pelted tom with blind, amber eyes

**S C A R C L A N**

**Leader-** **STORKSTAR:** A small, gray she-cat with blazing amber eyes

 **Deputy-** **RAINFROST:** A long tailed, brown pelted tabby she-cat with green eyes

 **Medicine Cat-** **EMBERFLICK:** A ginger tom with pale eyes

**Warriors-**

**REGGIE:** A black tom with white under fur and yellow eyes

_Apprentice: Smokeypaw_

**HAWKSTRIKE:** A mottled brown pelt with black tail and ears and amber eyes

 **LIZARDSPLASH:** A brown grey pelt with black spots and amberish-green eyes

_Apprentice: Driftpaw_

**POLARFROST:** A cream and white tabby with piercing ice blue eyes

_Apprentice: Peanutpaw_

**SPARKCLAW:** A spiked, orange tabby tom with amber eyes

 **GRASSTHISTLE:** A mottled gray she-cat with a white tail and green eyes

 **SNOWFERN:** A pure white she-cat with green eyes

 **MOUSEEYES** : A scrawny, brown and white she-cat with green eyes

 **CROWCALL:**  A tall, black tom with amber eyes

 **SNAPJAW:** A black, bobtailed she-cat with amber eyes

**Apprentices-**

**DRIFTPAW:** A blue-gray tom with a lighter face and rare, red eyes.  Former loner.

 **SMOKEYPAW:** A black and white tom with gray fur tips and amber eyes

 **PEANUTPAW:** A two toned tan brown tom with a white belly and paws and brown eyes

**Queens-**

**Elders-**

**REDFOX-** A russet brown tom with a white tail tip and paws.  Had to retire due to an injury.

_Snowypaw, Rabbitpaw, Cricketpaw, and Frogpaw kindly submitted by Guest over FFN_

_Driftpaw and Skygrass kindly submitted by letusdance over FFN_

_Reggie, Smokeypaw, Peanutpaw, and Redfox kindly submitted by GinnyStar over Archive of Our Own_

_Finchfeather, Robinwing, Sparkclaw, Grassthistle, Snowfern, Thornfur, Rosepetal, Mouseeyes, Crowcall, Watereyes, Mudpelt, Beareyes, Snapjaw, Hawkstrike, Lizardsplash, and Polarfrost kindly submitted by NightmareTheFoxWitch over FFN_

_Swallowlight and Sagefoot kindly submitted by Goldencloud over Archive of Our Own_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Want to submit an OC for ScarClan and LeafClan? Here's the form!  
> Name:  
> Gender:  
> Personality:  
> Looks:  
> Rank:  
> Other:


	2. Chapter One

A small, thick furred kit peered out from the shadows that was the nursery.  Her red fur was unable to be seen while the black fur fit in perfectly with her surroundings, and her amber eyes seemed like two glowing beacons in the dark.  She was crouched close to the ground, watching as her sister pranced around the clearing for the first time.  

 

The two sisters were complete opposites when you looked at them.  The red kit’s sister was silver with white paws, ears, tail tip, and almost golden eyes.  The warriors watched as the kit turned her wide eyes around the clearing, taking in all of the ruins that made up their dens.  No cat turned to look at her red-furred sister.

 

Lonekit looked back at the kit and flicked her tail; a silent encouragement for her to creep out from the nursery.  Foxkit’s eyes quickly scanned the clearing once again before she followed her into the clearing.  The looks on the warrior's faces changed as soon as they saw Foxkit.  Their eyes narrowed and they turned to murmur to each other.  Foxkit’s ears caught parts of conversations.  

 

“Look at her fur…”

 

“She’ll never blend in…”

 

“Stick out like dog scent…”

 

She flattened her ears against her head as Lonekit padded farther into the clearing.  She ignored the murmurers targeted at her sister as she went towards a ginger she-cat with green eyes that was a bit smaller than the other cats in the Clan.  

 

“Hello,” she meowed.  “I’m Lonekit.”

 

The cat nodded at her.  “I’m Amberpaw,” she meowed.

 

“You’re an apprentice?” She nodded.  “Who’s your mentor?”

 

“Goldenapple,” the cat flicked her tail towards a small, russet colored she-cat that both kits turned their eyes too.  She was sitting next to a sandy colored she-cat and was one of the first to start talking about Foxkit.  “The cat next to her is Roseleaf.”  Well, that answered that question.  Amberpaw looked back at Lonekit.  “Want to meet the other apprentices?” A smile grew on Lonekit’s face and she nodded happily.  Amberpaw stood up and led her towards a den, leaving Foxkit behind.

 

Foxkit sat down and looked around her.  A few cats were still casting glances over at her, but most of them were just ignoring her.  She looked at the towering ruins that made up the dens and were almost completely covered in moss.  She watched as a pure white she-cat padded out of a den and looked at the bright red she-kit.  She padded across the clearing to join her.  “Hello, Foxkit,” she meowed.

 

Foxkit’s ears perked up.  “You know my name?” she nodded.

 

“I’m Moonleaf, the Medicine Cat.”

 

Foxkit tilted her head.  “Medicine Cat?”

 

Moonleaf nodded again.  “It means that I take care of cats when they’re injured or sick.”

 

“But what if you get attacked or…. Something?”

 

The Medicine Cat purred.  “We learn some fighting moves,” she meowed.  “Only enough to protect ourselves if we have to.  But most cats wouldn’t dare attack a Medicine Cat.”  She quickly looked around.  “Where’s Lonekit?”

 

“Amberpaw took her to meet the other apprentices.”

 

“Without you?” Foxkit nodded.  Moonleaf murmured something under her breath, but Foxkit was paying attention to the light and gray tabby tom appeared on top of the structure that towered above the rest of the camp.  

 

“May all cats old enough to walk the stones join here beneath the Ancient Tower for a Clan meeting,” he meowed, his golden eyes shining.  Cats left their dens and gathered around him.  Lonekit padded out after Amberpaw and a few other apprentices.  A brown she-cat with black paws and a light gray she-cat left the nursery.  The brown she-cat, who Foxkit knew was Heartfall, glared at her.  

 

She couldn’t help but notice that that was all her mother seemed to be doing to her.

 

“Get back to the nursery,” she meowed.  “You’re not old enough,”  Foxkit nodded and bounded back to the shadows of the nursery.  Willowlight, the other she-cat ignored her as the red she-kit passed her.  Foxkit peeked out of the den and watched the meeting, waiting for Lonekit to join her and watched Moonleaf pad over to the den she came from and sit outside of it.  Instead, she listened as the cat at the top of the tower started speaking.  His voice carried across the clearing, easily reaching the kit’s ears.

 

“We have gathered here today to watch two apprentices become warriors.”  His eyes looked into the crowd.  “Featherfire, Spiritbreeze, are Songpaw and Waterpaw ready to become warriors?”

 

Another voice that was harder for Foxkit to hear spoke.  “Songpaw has trained hard and is ready to give anything for MossClan.”

 

A quieter voice, that Foxkit was surprised that she could still hear, spoke next.  “Waterpaw isn’t originally from this Clan, but he is as loyal to us as any other cat.”

 

The cat on the tower nodded before looking up to the sky.  “I, Sparkstar, leader of MossClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon these apprentices.  They have trained hard to understand your noble code, and we commend them to you as warriors in their turn.”  He turned his eyes to just below the tower.  “Songpaw, Waterpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?”

 

“I do,” the two voices rang out clearly across the clearing.

 

“Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior names.  Songpaw, from this moment on, you shall be known as Songshade.  StarClan honors your strength and wit, and we welcome you as a full warrior of MossClan.”  Sparkstar leapt off of the tower, and a few moments later Foxkit heard him again.  “Waterpaw, from this moment on, you shall be known as Waternight.  StarClan honors your strength and loyalty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of MossClan.”

 

The Clan started chanting the new warrior’s names.  “Songshade! Waternight! Songshade! Waternight!”  _ I can’t wait to be a warrior! _ Foxkit thought as she murmured the names along with the rest of her Clan, not wanting to get caught by Heartfall.

 

In her excitement, she forgot about the fact that Lonekit was never sent back to the nursery.


	3. Chapter Two

A moon later, Lonekit and Foxkit were joined in the Nursery by a new arrival: Duskkit.  He was a brown tabby with dark blue eyes, and instantly followed Lonekit around as soon as he could walk.  Now that Foxkit was older, she was starting to realize she was being treated a bit differently.  Cats either ignored her or glared at her (except for Moonleaf and a black apprentice that she noticed seemed to keep an eye out for her), Lonekit hardly ever spoke with her, and Heartfall only growled at her whenever she had to talk to her.  

 

Until Lonekit shook her awake one night with her paw.  “Hey, Foxkit,” Lonekit whispered.  Foxkit opened her amber eyes and looked up at her sister.  “We should sneak out of camp,” she whispered.  Well, she wasn’t about to say no.  She was an eager kit, after all.  Foxkit nodded and stood up, quickly stretching before she followed her silver pelted sister out of the den.  She slunk through the shadows with her sister, not realizing that even in the dark it was easy to spot her red fur.  

 

Lonekit led her through a hole in the bushes that surrounded the camp.  As soon as they were outside, they raced through the woods that made up their territory.  Purrs and yelps escaped them as they clumsily jumped over tree roots.  Because of their small size, they weren’t making much noise, but they were still leaping at every leaf they could find and listening to the satisfying crunch.  The smell of trees and water filled their noses, and everything around them glittered with water.

 

The joy didn’t last long.  They were stopped by a dark brown, almost black tom with pale green eyes.  Foxkit recognized him as Ravensight.  He was a genius in the Clan, but also known to be one of the most insufferable cats to grace the earth.  One thing that Foxkit appreciated about him, though, was that he treated all cats equally, which meant that he also ignored everyone else.  With the exception of Moonleaf, Sparkstar, the Clan’s Deputy Blazestorm, his apprentice Fallenpaw, and for some strange reason, Swifteagle.

 

The other tom quickly appeared next to him.  He was a light brown tom with dark eyes, and stood out next to Ravensight.  “What are you doing out of camp?” Swifteagle asked.

 

Foxkit lowered herself to the ground while Lonekit barely even flinched.  “Amberpaw, Ghostpaw, and Flowpaw were talking about the time that they left camp, so I thought that Foxkit and I should, too.”  Swifteagle let out a sigh.  “How did you find us?”

 

“Foxkit’s fur,” Ravensight replied, his voice obviously not caring about the kit in front of him.  Foxkit flattened her ears against her head as Swifteagle glared at him.  

 

“Ravensight, they’re only kits,” he meowed.

 

“What? She asked,” Ravensight told him.  The other tom turned his eyes to the kits.  

 

“We’ll take you back to camp,” he meowed.  Ravensight started padding in the direction Lonekit and Foxkit came from.

 

“Ravensight,” Swifteagle meowed.  The almost black tom looked over his shoulder.  “You’re forgetting something,” he flicked his tail at the kits.

 

“They got here by themselves, they should be able to make it back.”  He turned around and started padding forward again.  Swifteagle sighed again and padded after him, the kits quickly following.  

 

Foxkit hadn’t noticed how far they had gotten from the camp until the sun was starting to come up, its light flooding through the trees.  Her paws were dragging and a yawn fell from her jaws.  Lonekit pressed herself against her sister, causing to Foxkit to look at her in surprise.  Lonekit’s head was hanging and her tail was trailing against the ground.  

 

Finally, Ravensight and Swifteagle led them through the camp entrance.  A white tom, Frostrain, leapt down from a tree and followed them.  The cats were immediately met with a frantic Heartfall, who started frantically grooming Lonekit, which forced her to stop leaning against her sister.  Foxkit quickly caught her balance and sat down with her head low.  Sparkstar left his den and padded towards the kits.  

 

Foxkit and Lonekit both looked up at the tom, who was towering over them.  “You two both left camp without a warrior,” he meowed.  “So, Foxkit, you’ll be helping to take care of the apprentice’s nests for a moon.”  His eyes were narrowed, as if he didn’t even want to look at the red kit.  He turned and started padding back to his den.

 

“And Lonekit?” Ravensight asked.  Sparkstar looked over his shoulder at the warrior.  

 

“What about her?”

 

“What’s her punishment?”

 

“She doesn’t need one.  She’s smart enough to not do it again.”  Ravensight’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t say anything else.  Sparkstar continued to his den.  

 

“Come on, back to the nursery,” Heartfall meowed, lifting up Lonekit and padding to the den.  Ravensight looked down at Foxkit and nodded before padding off, Eaglesight blinking before looking down at the red kit.  

 

“I’ve only seen him acknowledge a few kits before, and that was when they run in front of him,” he meowed.  “He basically just told you ‘goodnight’,” he added.  Foxkit was too tired to do anything else but nod before following Heartfall and Lonekit into the nursery.  She curled up next to her silver pelted sister and fell asleep within heartbeats.  


	4. Chapter Three

When Foxkit woke up the next morning, the black apprentice was waiting outside the nursery for her.  He let out a purr when he saw her.  “Stormflame let me have the morning off to help you with the apprentice’s nests,” he meowed.  “I’m Chesterpaw, by the way.”  Foxkit was surprised at how deep his voice was: he was only an apprentice, but it was deeper than any other voice she had ever heard.

 

“But don’t you have to train?” she asked.  Chesterpaw shook his head.  

 

“I have plenty of time,” he meowed.  “Come on, follow me,” he stood up and started padding towards the apprentice’s den with Foxkit on his heels.  He disappeared into the darkness of the den, and Foxkit took a few moments for her eyes to adjust to the dim light.  She sat next to him as he stood next to a nest.  “You see how this moss looks different from the rest?” Chesterpaw asked, his paw hovering over a lighter patch of moss.  Foxkit nodded.  “That’s what we have to get rid of,” he told her.  He unsheathed his claws and cut out the lighter moss, peeling it out of the nest.  Foxkit nodded and padded to a different nest, cutting out the lighter parts of it.  She went a bit slower than Chesterpaw, and with five apprentices it took a while, but they still got all of the old moss out of the nests.  

 

“I’ll be right back,” Chesterpaw meowed, leaving the den and coming back with two balls of moss.  He dropped them on the ground and peeled some away from one of the balls.  “Just spread the moss out in the holes, and then we’re done.”  Foxkit nodded and took some moss, filling up a nest.  A few nests later, and there was only one left.  She sniffed it. Chesterpaw’s scent was covering it completely.  She put in some extra moss for him.  

 

Finally, she sat back on her haunches.  Chesterpaw purred at her.  “I’ve still got some time left.  I can teach you some fighting moves, if you’d like.”  Foxkit brightened and nodded.

 

“You will?”  Chesterpaw smiled and nodded back to her, leading the way out of the den and into the clearing.

 

* * *

 

 

Things only got worse for her as the moons went on.  Cats that used to ignore her glared, and cats that used to glare at her growled as she went by.  At five moons old, she understood that it was because of her fur color.  She knew that she stood out: enough to scare off all of the prey around her and to let her enemies know where she was.  She accepted that, and she knew that it was just going to be harder for her training.  She believed that she could still be a warrior.

 

She did, however, have good things happen to her.  Duskkit left her alone since he was too busy trailing after Lonekit, and Heartfall barely paid any attention to her.  She happily took that over being growled at and forced away from the rest of the Clan.  Chesterpaw stayed with her as often as he could, Moonleaf happily answered her questions, Ravensight nodded to her as they passed each other, and Swifteagle always followed with a tail or ear flick.  

 

Her ears perked when Heartfall padded towards her as she sat with Chesterpaw.  The Queen stopped in front of her kit.  “You’re five moons old,” she began, her voice cold.  “It’s about time that we talked about your apprenticeship.”  Foxkit tilted her head and looked at the black apprentice.  He shook his head.

 

“Won’t I be a warrior?” Foxkit asked, looking back at Heartfall.  The Queen shook her head and Foxkit’s hopes were crushed.  Her amber eyes widened as she looked at the brown she-cat.  “Prey or a cat from another Clan could see you from across the territory,” she growled.  “That’s why you have to become a Medicine Cat.”

 

“But I-”

 

“You’re lucky I’m not asking Sparkstar to make you leave the Clan,” Heartfall hissed.  Foxkit stayed silent, her argument forgotten.  Chesterpaw bristled next to her.  

 

“She’s still part of the Clan,” he argued.  “She has a choice, like the rest of us.”

 

“No, she doesn’t,” Heartfall turned her growing rage on the apprentice.  “As far as I’m concerned, she could never be a true part of this Clan, and Sparkstar agrees with me.”  Foxkit immediately pressed her body to the ground.  

 

“She doesn’t have to be acknowledged by you,” a new voice meowed.  Heartfall turned to look at Ravensight.

 

“Stay out of this, Ravensight.”

 

“With how loud you’re talking, the whole Clan was dragged into it,” Ravensight meowed.  Heartfall’s eyes narrowed before she looked back at Foxkit.

 

“You’ll be the Medicine Cat apprentice in a moon,” she meowed before stalking off.  Foxkit didn’t pay attention to anything else that was going on around her.  She felt like the world was slowly falling apart, leaving the only thing around her being the ground under her paws.  She didn’t notice when Ravensight settled himself next to her when Chesterpaw had to go out from training.  

 

When she did, she looked up at the dark warrior.  He didn’t look back at her, but he did lay down.  “You’re a good choice for Medicine Cat, but it’s a shame that Sparkstar won’t make you a warrior,” he meowed.  “If I didn’t already have Fallenpaw, I would ask to take you as my apprentice.”  Foxkit’s ears perked.

 

“Really?” Ravensight just nodded.  

 

“You’re easily smarter than Lonekit, and once you would find out how to camouflage yourself, you would be a great fighter.”  He turned his head to look at her.  “I’m sure that Swifteagle would, but I doubt that Sparkstar would change his mind about making you Medicine Cat.”  Her ears drooped and she looked at the ground.

 

She was stuck with becoming Medicine Cat.  For the first time in her short life, she felt anger towards her sister.  She already knew that she would get one of the best warriors as her mentor.


	5. Chapter Four

Foxkit glared as she watched Lonekit pad confidently across the clearing towards Amberpaw, with Duskkit at her heels.  Chesterpaw nudged her.  She turned her amber eyes to the larger cat.  “I know you’re mad and all,” the apprentice began, “but glaring at Lonekit won’t make it any better.”  Foxkit sighed.

 

“I know, but…”  She looked at the ground.  “She gets to be a warrior,” she meowed softly.  “She’ll get a great mentor, too.”

 

“Medicine Cats still learn fighting moves, you know,” Chesterpaw meowed.  “And I’ve already taught you some.  If anything, you’re already ahead of her.”  Foxkit let a small purr escape her throat.  

 

“Thanks, Chesterpaw,” she meowed.  The two stayed silent for a few heartbeats before Chesterpaw spoke again.

 

“Your ceremony is today, isn’t it?” Foxkit didn’t even have time to nod before Heartfall surged out of the nursery and towards Lonekit, frantically grooming her.  Foxkit looked down at her own, neat red fur.  Sure, she didn’t want to be Medicine Cat apprentice, but she wasn’t going to let herself look like a fool in front of the whole Clan.  

 

It was perfect timing for Lonekit, because right after Heartfall had finished with her, Sparkstar had padded out on top of the tower and looked over the camp.  “May all cats old enough to walk the stones gather beneath the Ancient Tower for a Clan meeting.”  Foxkit felt a sudden nervousness fill her as she padded towards the tower with Chesterpaw.  Lonekit sat next to her just a few tail lengths away from the tower while the Clan formed a ring around them.  Sparkstar looked out at his Clan.  “By naming apprentices, we show that our Clan is thriving and will continue to do so,” he meowed, before nodding to Moonleaf, who was sitting by her den.  The Medicine Cat approached the tower and sat down in front of it.  

 

“Cats of MossClan,” she began.  “As you know I will not be around forever.   _ We, _ ” she put emphasis on the word, as if she didn’t agree with Foxkit being forced into the position either, “have decided it is time for me to take on apprentice.  We have found a cat who has shown skill and patience.  Your next Medicine Cat will be Foxpaw.”

 

Sparkstar glared down at Foxpaw.  “Foxpaw, do you accept the post of apprentice to Moonleaf?”

 

Foxpaw took a deep breath before responding.  “I do.”

 

“Than at the half-moon, you must travel to the Moon Fall to be accepted by StarClan before the other Medicine Cats,” Moonleaf meowed.  

 

“The good wishes of all of MossClan go with you,” Sparkstar meowed.   _ Yeah, right, _ Foxpaw thought as her and Moonleaf touched noses.  “As for Lonepaw,” Sparkstar’s golden eyes went from Foxpaw to the newly named Lonepaw, “I have decided to be her mentor.”  Foxpaw’s eyes widened and she heard some gasps from the Clan as Sparkstar leapt off of the tower and touched noses with his new apprentice.  Even Lonepaw looked surprised.  

 

“Foxpaw! Lonepaw! Foxpaw! Lonepaw!” Moonleaf flicked her tail.  

 

“Follow me,” she meowed.  She lead the way towards her den, slinking inside.

 

Foxpaw had thankfully, never been inside the Medicine Den before.  Uneven shelves made up the back of the wall, all of them filled with herbs.  Moss grew across the walls, and a small trickle of water formed a pool in an area that was lined with stones and had sunlight reflecting off of it.  Foxpaw guessed that moonlight would also reflect off of the water.  Nests covered part the floor to across from the pool and herb stores, and there was a small tunnel in the middle of the wall across from her.

 

“The tunnel leads to our nests,” Moonleaf meowed.  Foxpaw tilted her head.  

 

“I won’t be sleeping with the other apprentices?” Moonleaf shook her head.

 

“You’re a Medicine Cat, remember?” a small smile slipped on her face.  “And trust me, once you hear Ghostpaw’s snoring, you won’t want to sleep with them anymore.”  The white she-cat led the way towards the herb stores and looked at her red apprentice.  “We’ll start off with all of the simple herbs, I don’t want to overwhelm you,” Foxpaw nodded.  Moonleaf pointed her nose at the webs in the corner that Foxpaw didn’t notice until now.  

 

“Those are cobwebs.  We wrap it around an injury to keep the wound clean and to stop bleeding, but when you collect it make sure not to bring the spider with you.”  Foxpaw nodded before Moonleaf pointed to a shelf that was full of blue and pink star shaped flowered and hairy leaved plants.  “These are borage leaves, they bring down fever and brings up a Queen’s milk supply.”  Foxpaw nodded again as she pointed to another plant, and another, and another.  “We’ll keep it to those for now,” Moonleaf meowed.  

 

“I have to memorize all of these?” Foxpaw meowed, looking up at the shelves, her eyes wide.

 

“And more,” Moonleaf meowed.  “We have to go gather herbs,” she added.  Foxpaw’s ears perked.  She would actually get to leave camp!  The Medicine Cat turned and lead the way out of the den and camp with Foxpaw on her heels.  The two padded through the forest until they stopped at a river with stepping stones across it.  “This is where we get the ‘all cats old enough to walk the stones’ from,” Moonleaf explained.  “This river would be deadly to us if these weren’t here, and MossClan cats are the best at crossing the river.  There’s plenty of other areas in our territory like this, too.”

 

“What do you mean by ‘best at crossing the river’?” Foxpaw asked.

 

“Most cats would slip, but our territory is naturally damp.  We’re used to it.”  Moonleaf lead the way across the stones, Foxpaw following close behind.  The stones were harder to walk on than the forest floor, but it wasn’t hard for her to adjust.  They were across the river in no time, and encountered by an angry Amberpaw a few heartbeats later.  She didn’t seem to notice Moonleaf as she approached Foxpaw.  “You scared off my mouse!” she hissed.  “What’re you doing out of camp anyway, Foxkit?”

 

“You weren’t there for the ceremony?” Foxpaw asked.  Amberpaw’s attitude changed.  Her ears perked up and she lifted up her head.  

 

“I missed Lonek-paw’s ceremony?”  Foxpaw narrowed her eyes, but nodded.  Amberpaw’s eyes narrowed again.  “Apprentice or not, you still scared off my prey.”

 

“That’s your newest Medicine Cat you’re speaking to, Amberpaw,” Moonleaf meowed calmly.  “You never know what she might slip into your fresh-kill,”  Amberpaw, now noticing Moonleaf, seemed to pale before she dipped her head respectfully to both cats.  She turned tail and ran back to where she came from.

 

“I can do that?” Foxpaw asked, looking up at her mentor.  Moonleaf shook her head with a smile on her face.

 

“No, but let her think that for a while.”


	6. Chapter Five

“All three Clans’ territories are quite large,” Moonleaf explained.  “As Medicine Cats, we can go into all three Clans’ territory, but we usually don’t unless Sparkstar has to meet another leader.”

 

“We can trespass?” Foxpaw asked.

 

“Medicine Cats stand above Clan rivalries.  Our job is to heal cats, no matter what Clan they’re from.”  Moonleaf stopped.  “This is our border with ScarClan.  Their Medicine Cat is named Emberflick.”  Foxpaw sniffed the air, and a disgusting smell filled her nose.  Her face scrunched up and Moonleaf purred in amusement.  “We smell that bad to them, too.”  Moonleaf padded a little bit farther back into MossClan territory and stopped in front of a plant with large, spreading leaves and small white flowers.  “This is the best place in the territory to get chervil.  Do you remember what it’s used for?”

 

Foxpaw thought for a few seconds.  “Infected wounds?” she meowed.  Moonleaf nodded.  

 

“And?” Foxpaw thought for a few seconds.  

 

“A Queen’s milk?”  Moonleaf shook her head.

 

“Bellyache.”  The white cat purred.  “I wasn’t expecting you to get it right; it’s only your first day, after all.”  Foxpaw nodded.  Moonleaf started going through the trees again and stopped next to another bush.  “There’s a few poppy flowers around here, so this is a good place to get poppy seeds from.  What do poppy seeds do?”

 

“Help a cat fall asleep.”  Moonleaf nodded and padded on.  They didn’t stop until another scent reached her nose: One more tolerable than ScarClan but Foxpaw still didn’t like it.  Moonleaf stopped next to a stream with one stepping stone between the banks.  

 

“This stream is the border between us and LeafClan.  Their Medicine Cat’s name is Falconclaw.”

 

“I’m the only apprentice?” Moonleaf nodded.  

 

“All of us are fairly young Medicine Cats.”  Foxpaw nodded.  Again, Moonleaf led the way down the border.  Foxpaw stopped as the sound of rustling from the other side of the stream met her ears.  Moonleaf stopped a bit in front of her, looking into the tall grass.  

 

A large, brown tom with ember flecks in his pelt with one green eye and one blue eye emerged from the grass with a few warriors behind them.  Foxpaw expected him to glare and growl at them, but instead he bowed his head respectfully towards Moonleaf.

 

“It’s nice to see you, Moonleaf,” he meowed.  

 

Moonleaf returned the respectful gesture.  “Same to you, Embersoul.”  Embersoul turned his gaze to Foxpaw.

 

“Who’s this?” he asked.

 

“My apprentice, Foxpaw.  I was just showing her the territory.”  The red she-cat quickly bowed her head to the tom.  Embersoul nodded.  Foxpaw’s tail flicked to the side.  She was taught to hate the other two Clans, that she would have to fight against them someday.  Now, here she was, and she was supposed to stand apart from Clan rivalries.   _ Oh, StarClan, How am I going to pull this off? _ she thought.  

 

“Well, training apprentices is an important part of Clan life.  We’ll move on,” Embersoul directed the second part to his patrol as he turned and disappeared back into the grass.  Moonleaf led the way back into the woods, Foxpaw on her heels.  

 

“We’ll go back to camp, and then I’ll show you some more herbs.  Once you learn them, I’ll show you the best places to find them.”  


	7. Chapter Six

Foxpaw woke up to the sound of Fallenpaw’s voice ringing through the den.  “Moonleaf? Foxpaw?”  Foxpaw sat up and let out a yawn, but Moonleaf was already heading through the tunnel into the rest of the Medicine Den.  Foxpaw stood and followed her.  

 

Foxpaw had always sort of liked Fallenpaw.  Besides being Ravensight’s apprentice, he was also Chesterpaw’s littermate.  

 

“What’s wrong, Fallenpaw?” Moonleaf asked as she jumped down to the ground.  He was holding one of his paws above the ground.   _He must have limped all the way here,_ Foxpaw thought.  She wondered where he came from.  He knew that Ravensight must have been a strict mentor, so she guessed that they had gone out training some time last night.  

 

“There’s a thorn in my paw,” he meowed.  Moonleaf nodded.  Foxpaw landed softly on the ground and sat next to her mentor.

 

“Let me see it,” Moonleaf ordered.  Fallenpaw sat down and held out his paw.  Moonleaf and Foxpaw looked at his pad.  A thorn was right in the center of it.  The white pelted cat started licking around it, pushing the thorn out slowly.  Once it was out far enough, she grabbed it in her teeth and pulled it out.  

 

“Thanks, Moonleaf.”  Fallenpaw set his paw on the ground and left the den with a flick of his tail.  

 

“I’m leaving the next thorn to you, Foxpaw,” Moonleaf meowed.  The apprentice nodded.  

 

“When’s the next half moon?” Foxpaw asked.

 

“In a few moon rises,” the Medicine Cat meowed.  The apprentice nodded again.  “So, as long as we’re awake, let’s review all the herbs you know so far.”

 

* * *

 

Foxpaw had started learning the Medicine Cat code at the end of her second day.  It was a shorter code than the Warrior Code, but it was a harder Code not to break.  At least, that was what she thought.

 

The first Code was that a Medicine Cat may not fall in love or take a mate.  Foxpaw thought that if you fell in love, you wouldn’t be able to do much about it.  The not taking a mate part should have been easier.

 

The second was that a Medicine Cat may not have kits.  Well, if there were Warrior couples that decided not to have kits, a Medicine Cat could do it.  Besides, she wasn’t allowed to have a mate, anyway.

 

The third was that a Medicine Cat cannot retire unless they have an apprentice to replace them.  Foxpaw guessed that if she retired from being a Medicine Cat, Sparkstar would either make her an elder or exile her from the Clan, so she didn’t have much choice.

 

The fourth was that a Medicine Cat shares dreams with only StarClan.  It seemed easy enough.

 

The fifth and last was that a Medicine Cat may only share dreams and prophecies with their leader or other Medicine Cats at the monthly meeting; dreams of an otherwise prophetic nature should not be disclosed to any outside parties, or any other cats in the Clan.  That one was kind of obvious to her.

 

On her third day of training, Moonleaf sent her out into the territory to gather some poppy seeds and burdock root.  She padded happily through the territory.  For now, she felt like an actual warrior apprentice.  She could easily imagine that she was out on a hunting assessment, but the thought that _you’re a Medicine Cat_ kept ringing through her head.  It was kind of ruining the illusion for her.  She trailed back to the poppy flower that Moonleaf had showed her on her first day as an apprentice.  She carefully put the seeds in a large leaf and picked it up, looking for burdock.  She sniffed the air, smelling for the sharp scent.

 

She padded forward, sniffing the air as she went.  Instead of finding the plant, she found an angry Ghostpaw right in front of her.  “You scared off my prey, Foxdung!” he hissed.

 

 _Foxdung?_ Foxpaw thought as she narrowed her eyes and put down her leaf full of poppy seeds.  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

 

Ghostpaw lashed his tail and snarled.  “You scare off everything! Your fur is too bright for the rest of us to be able to catch anything!”

 

“Maybe you should be faster, then,” Foxpaw growled.  “I’m sure you could have caught it.”  Ghostpaw’s claws scratched against the ground.  

 

“Watch your tongue, Medicine Cat.”  He angrily turned and stalked away from her.  Foxpaw let out one last growl in his direction as she picked up her leaf went off in a different direction.  She only made it a few paw steps before Chesterpaw appeared in front of her.

 

“What was that about?” he asked.

 

“Ghostpaw said I scared off his prey,” Foxpaw meowed, but it came out muffled.  Chesterpaw nodded.  

 

“I heard Amberpaw complaining about that a few days ago, too,” he meowed.  Foxpaw let out a sigh.  “What’re you doing, anyway?”

 

“Gathering herbs for Moonleaf,” Foxpaw told him.  He nodded.  

 

“Did he call you ‘Medicine Cat’?” he asked as Foxpaw started walking again.  He easily got into step with the smaller she-cat.  She nodded.

 

“I think if he stayed around any longer he might have attacked me.”  Chesterpaw’s step faltered for a heartbeat.  

 

“What?” he asked.  Foxpaw nodded.  “I’m gonna claw his eyes out.”

 

Foxpaw almost dropped her leaf, but she was lucky that only a poppy seed or two fell out.  “You don’t have to do that!” she meowed.  “Then he’ll just be stuck in the Medicine Den.”  Chesterpaw thought for a few seconds.

 

“Fine.  I’ll shove him into the river, instead.”  Foxpaw nodded.  

 

“I can live with that.”


	8. Chapter Seven

Moonleaf led the way through the damp woods.  It was just getting dark out, and Foxpaw could see the fog a few tail lengths above her head.  She breathed in the scent of water and bounded after her mentor.  She felt scared and excited.

 

This was her first Half Moon Gathering, after all.

 

Moonleaf was quickly approaching the border between ScarClan and MossClan.  Foxpaw was getting nervous to meet Emberflick and Falconclaw.  She internally shook her head: she guessed that all Medicine Cats were nervous for their first time meeting StarClan.  

 

The white she-cat stopped by the border and sat down.  “Now, we wait for Emberflick.  Falconclaw will meet us closer to the Moon Fall,”  Foxpaw nodded.  The apprentice sat and curled her tail around her paws.  Soon enough, a ginger tom with pale green eyes emerged from the darker forest in front of them.  His tail flicked as his eyes moved from Moonleaf to Foxpaw.

 

Moonleaf dipped her head.  “Nice to see you again, Emberflick.”  

 

“Who’s this?” Emberflick asked, gesturing to Foxpaw with his tail.  “A new apprentice?”

 

The other Medicine Cat nodded.  “Her name’s Foxpaw.”  Emberflick nodded.

 

“Well, nice to meet you, Foxpaw.”  The red she-cat nodded respectfully to the tom.

 

“We should start heading towards the Moon Fall.”  Emberflick nodded and padded off along the border.  Foxpaw, with the knowledge that she could cross the border, felt the urge to walk on the ScarClan side of the border.  Which she did.  Moonleaf shot a glance at her and purred as she followed at Emberflick’s heels.  

 

Foxpaw watched as their surroundings changed, ignoring the conversation between the full Medicine Cats.  The trees thinned out, leaving a barren field of grass that was covered with dew and was reflecting the small amount of sunlight left in the sky.  They left the scents of ScarClan and MossClan behind as Foxpaw started hearing the sound of rushing water.  After a while, she noticed that they were padding towards a river.  A bit farther down, there was a set of stepping stones that Moonleaf was leading them to.  On the other side of the river, sitting by the stepping stones, was a gray tom with ice blue eyes.  Foxpaw guessed that was Falconclaw.

 

Moonleaf and Foxpaw gracefully leapt over the slippery rocks, their paws easily gripping onto the surface.  Once Emberflick started making his way across, Foxpaw finally understood why Moonleaf said that their Clan was the best at crossing the stones.  The older tom was taking it slow, and keeping his paws close to the surface of the stones.  When he leapt from one stone to another, his tail quickly lashed from side to side as he tried to regain his balance and not fall into the rushing water below.  Even though he was being careful, the apprentice could see that his paws still slipped from under him a few times.

 

“Embersoul told me about a new apprentice,” Falconclaw meowed.  “Foxpaw, right?”  

 

“Uh, yeah,” Foxpaw meowed quietly.  He let out a purr.

 

“A bit nervous, huh?” Foxpaw nodded.  Falconclaw nudged her gently with his shoulder.

 

“All of us are.  Don’t worry: these meetings are more of a formality for us to be closer to them than anything else.”  The apprentice nodded once again.  Even though earlier in the day Moonleaf was telling her not to worry, and now Falconclaw was, she couldn’t help but still feel nervous.  She had no idea what to expect.

 

Once Emberflick reached the other side of the river, he lead the rest of the way to the Moon Fall.  Foxpaw’s nerves only got worse the closer they got.  The time seemed to pass faster to her, and before she knew it, they were at the top of the Moon Fall.

 

It was easily the most beautiful place Foxpaw had ever seen.  There was a small waterfall that threw off mist as the water went down, soaking all of the cat’s fur.  The water went down to a small pool at the bottom, which was surrounded by stone.  The stone was slippery (Foxpaw noticed that both Falconclaw and Emberflick were having trouble, while Moonleaf and her were easily padding across the surface) and reflecting the light from the now rising moon across the water.  

 

Moonleaf, Emberflick, Falconclaw, and Foxpaw sat down next to the pool.  The pure white Medicine Cat turned her head to the sky.  “StarClan!” she yowled.  “I bring you Foxpaw, my apprentice, and pray that you accept her as you once accepted me.”  

 

“I hope you have good dreams,” Emberflick meowed.  Falconclaw gave Foxpaw a nod of encouragement before he laid down by the pool and lapped up some water.  The rest of the Medicine Cats followed suit.  Foxpaw curled up as she felt cold.  It wasn’t like the cold that she felt when Heartfall sent her to sleep in her own nest in the Nursery, it felt like it went down to her very soul.  She closed her eyes and went to sleep.

 

When she opened her eyes, she was in a forest that were a lot like MossClan territory.  In front of her was a silver tom with dark eyes.  “Hello, Foxpaw,” he meowed.  She sat up and tilted her head.  

 

“Who are you?” she asked.

 

“Riversong.  I was a Medicine Cat of MossClan before you and Moonleaf,” he meowed.  “I was forced to be one, like you.”

 

“Really?” Foxpaw asked.  “Why?”

 

“I was deaf,” he meowed, his tail tip flicking from side to side.  “MossClan is and always has been a very judgemental Clan.  Most of our Medicine Cats are forced to be them, with the exception of Moonleaf and a few others.”

 

“Why are you telling me?” 

 

“Because we want to change that.”  Foxpaw’s ears perked.

 

“How?”

 

“We have to prove ourselves.”  Riversong stood up and started padding in circles around Foxpaw.  “Plenty of cats that don’t fit in in MossClan have been kicked out.  We were the lucky ones.  Another cat like us will be born soon: I want you to help him prove himself to the Clan.  To show that we are stronger than what they think makes us weak.”

 

“How am I supposed to do that?”

 

“You’ll have some cats to help you,” he told her.  “Chesterpaw and Fallenpaw, for example.”

 

“But I’ve barely talked to Fallenpaw,” Foxpaw protested.

  
“Chesterpaw won’t be around forever,” Riversong hissed.  “Fallenpaw will help you just as much as he has.  Remember: this is only part of our movement.  This isn’t the end, MossClan will take a while to change.  This is only the start.”  Foxpaw nodded as she realized that her vision was getting darker.  She didn’t have a chance to say anything else; she only heard Riversong wishing her good luck before she woke up at the Moon Fall.


	9. Chapter Eight

Somehow, Foxpaw and managed to learn all of the herbs in a fairly short amount of time. Well, according to Moonleaf, at least. She still got them mixed up, but that was what double-checking with Moonleaf was for, right? Everything had been going smoothly.

  
Well, except for Riversong’s passing comment about how ‘Chesterpaw won’t be around forever’. She did her best to ignore that for now, waiting for a kit to be born.

  
Roseleaf had already moved to the Nursery with Stormflame’s kits.

  
Moonleaf had given Foxpaw the task of organizing the herb stocks, watching over her shoulder as she did so. She was almost finished when they heard a call from outside the den.

  
“May all cats old enough to walk to stones join here beneath the Ancient Tower for a Clan meeting!” The two cats looked at each other before they padded out of the den, sitting outside of the entrance. They watched as the cats slowly gathered. Foxpaw noticed Duskkit sitting proudly in front of the stone tower, groomed to perfection.

  
_It’s his apprentice ceremony?_ Foxpaw thought.

  
“You look surprised,” Moonleaf meowed. Foxpaw turned her head to look at her mentor.

  
“I just…” she let her voice trail off. “Guess I forgot about Duskkit’s apprentice ceremony,” she meowed. Moonleaf purred.

  
“It just shows that you’re working hard,” she meowed. “You’re a good apprentice, Foxpaw. The best I could ask for.” Moonleaf always took the time to tell Foxpaw how she was smart, and learning faster than she did. Almost like she was doing her best to make up for what the Clan had forced her into.

  
Sparkstar started speaking. “Our Clan has been growing, from having Lonepaw and Foxpaw becoming apprentices last moon, to Roseleaf moving into the Nursery, and now, finally, to Duskpaw beginning his apprenticeship.” Sparkstar turned his golden eyes to the group of warriors and apprentices in front of him. “Snowleopard, I believe that you are ready for another apprentice. I entrust Duskpaw’s training to you.” The black and white tom padded forward and touched noses with his new apprentice. The Clan dispersed, going back to what they were doing before.

  
“Well, let’s go,” Moonleaf meowed. She stood up and purred at her red furred apprentice. “You still have some herbs to sort.” Foxpaw let out a groan as her mentor brushed past her. She stood and followed in her pawsteps.

 

* * *

 

“Your best chance in a fight is to dodge,” Fallenpaw began. “Well, for now. So I guess that’s what we’ll start with.”

  
Moonleaf, being the pure Medicine Cat she was, had enlisted Ravensight and Fallenpaw to help Foxpaw learn how to fight. Ravensight, being the ever helpful mentor he was, wanted Fallenpaw to start teaching. Foxpaw guessed that he figured it would be better that way, to teach her some fighting moves and Fallenpaw how to teach another cat.

  
“She’s already learned,” Ravensight meowed. “You don’t think Chesterpaw taught her useless things, did you?”

  
“Well, I-I mean,” Fallenpaw stuttered, “I never got to watch them,” he meowed, a bit nervously. Ravensight nodded.

  
“Then what do you think you should do?” he asked.

  
“Find out what she knows?” Fallenpaw asked. Ravensight nodded. “Alright, so we spar then,” Fallenpaw meowed, turning back to Foxpaw. He got into a fighting stance, Foxpaw quickly copying his movements. “You ready?” he asked. The red furred she-cat nodded.

  
Fallenpaw sprung forward, Foxpaw leaping a few tail-lengths to the side. He quickly turned and leapt at her again. Foxpaw dodged to the side and and hit the top of her head with her paw. If she was in an actual fight, she would have scratched his face. Fallenpaw leapt forward, this time pinning her to the ground. He stepped off of her and let her sit up.

  
“That was good, but I wouldn’t stay so close to the cat next time,” he meowed kindly. “Want to try again?”

  
It was right then that Foxpaw understood what Riversong meant when he said that Fallenpaw would help her just as much as Chesterpaw has.


	10. Chapter Nine

“Calm down,” Snowleopard hissed as he led Duskpaw into the Medicine Den.  Moonleaf and Foxpaw, who were just finishing putting some chervil on one of the top shelves, turned to look at the warrior and apprentice pair.  Because of how high up it was, they either had to leap up, climb up the shelves, or help each other put the herbs away.  “You’re the one who got yourself hurt, so stop complaining about seeing Moonleaf.”

 

“It’s not Moonleaf I’m complaining about,” Duskpaw grumbled.  He immediately got a cuff to the ear.  

 

“Medicine Cats are important cats in the Clan.  Foxpaw might be an annoyance, but she deserves our respect for taking care of us.”

 

“That’s not what you said to Cloudwhisker!” Duskpaw growled.

 

“Maybe you should learn not to disrespect a  member of the Clan in front of them,” Moonleaf meowed, padding towards the two.  “I believe you know, Snowleopard, that insulting an apprentice is also insulting their mentor.”  Snowleopard bowed his head to the white she-cat.

 

“I’m sorry, Moonleaf, only disciplining my apprentice.  I would hate to lie to such a strong young cat.”  Foxpaw let out a small growl from the back of her throat.  Moonleaf didn’t bother stopping it.

 

“What’s wrong, Duskpaw?” Moonleaf asked.  

 

“I got scratched by a bush,” Duskpaw meowed,  Foxpaw watched as his ears drooped in embarrassment and couldn’t help but feel a bit happy at that.  

 

“And what do we do for that, Foxpaw?” the Medicine Cat asked, turning to her red furred apprentice.

 

“Goldenrod and cobwebs?” Moonleaf nodded.  

 

“Go get them.”  Foxpaw turned and walked to the herb stores, taking out the bright yellow flowers and dipping her paw into the cobwebs in the corner before hobbling back to the three cats.  Moonleaf nudged her towards Duskpaw.

 

“You’ve seen me do it before, now it’s your turn.”  Duskpaw looked horrified.  

 

“I have to be treated by  _ her? _ ” he practically screeched, before Snowleopard’s paw hit him in the back of the head.

 

“You’re lucky that I haven’t scratched you yet,” he hissed as Foxpaw started chewing up the goldenrod, making her way towards the brown furred apprentice.  

 

“Where’s the wound?” Moonleaf asked, her ear twitching in annoyance.  Duskpaw flicked his tail to his side.  Foxpaw sat next to him and licked the pulp onto his wound, before covering it in cobwebs.  

 

“There,” Foxpaw meowed, padding back to her mentor.  “You can go now.”

 

“Watch it, Med-”

 

“ _ Thank you,  _ Foxpaw, is the correct response,” Snowleopard cut his apprentice off.  Duskpaw sent a glare his way before looking back at the she-cat, flinching, as though the  _ thought _ of thanking her hurt him.

 

“Thank you, Foxpaw,” he hissed through gritted teeth.  Snowleopard nodded and led the way out of the den.  

 

“Do all cats talk about me like that?” Foxpaw asked.  Moonleaf shrugged.

 

“You already know that I spend most of my time with you,” she meowed.  “There’s no time for Clan gossip when you’re saving lives.”

 

“We’ve spent the past three days sorting herbs.”

 

Moonleaf let out a nervous laugh.  “W-well, it helps take care of the Clan,” she mewed.

 

Foxpaw was unconvinced.  

 

The apprentice was about to stand up and stretch, waiting for another order from her mentor before Stormflame padded into the den. Both cats turned their eyes to him.

 

“What can we help you with, Stormflame?” Moonleaf asked with a kind purr.

 

“Roseleaf said that she was having some pains in her belly,” he meowed.  Moonleaf nodded.  

 

“Lead the way,” she meowed.  Stormflame nodding, turning tail and leading the way out of the den.  The two Medicine Cats followed at his heels.  They made their way into the Nursery, looking at the relaxed-looking cat inside.  Roseleaf lifted her head to look at the cats, her eyes shining a bit in the dark.

 

Foxpaw always appreciated how dark it was in the Nursery; so dark that she couldn’t even see the brightness of her fur.

 

“Hello, Roseleaf,” Moonleaf meowed.  “Mind if we take a look at your belly?”  The sandy colored she-cat nodded, stretching herself out a bit with a wince of pain.  Moonleaf padded forward and placed a gentle paw on her large belly.  She didn’t respond for a few moments.

 

“It doesn’t feel like anything wrong with your kits,” she mewed, “So for now I’m going to say that it’s your body expanding a bit too fast for its liking.  We’ll check on it again tomorrow.  For now, Foxpaw, what do we use for pain?”

 

“Poppy seeds,” Foxpaw’s answer was confident this time.  Moonleaf nodded.  

 

“Good.  Go fetch us some.”  Foxpaw turned and bounded out of the den, returning a bit later with poppy seeds in her paw.  She laid them out in front of Rose leaf, who quickly lapped them up.  

  
“Thank you, Moonleaf, Foxpaw,” she meowed before curling up again.  Moonleaf gave her a respectful dip of her head before padding out of the den, Foxpaw following behind.


	11. Chapter Ten

**I feel like I keep accidentally changing Foxpaw’s personality.  It’s hard to make a main character's personality when you have multiple personalities.**

 

“The Gathering is tonight,” Sparkstar began, his voice ringing out over the clearing.  Over the past quarter moon, Roseleaf was still complaining about a pain in her belly, but she had also said that it was feeling better than before.  Moonleaf was concerned, but other than the pain, the Queen was perfectly healthy, along with her kits.  There wasn’t much the two Medicine Cats could do, other than wait and hope.  “The cats going will be Blazestorm, Moonleaf, Featherfire, Songshade, Waternight, Snowleopard, Heartfall, Goldenapple, Stormflame, Ravensight, Swifteagle, Ghostpaw, Chesterpaw, Fallenpaw, Lonepaw, Foxpaw, and Duskpaw.”  Foxpaw’s ears perked at her name.  

 

Moonleaf stood and purred at her red-furred apprentice.  “Well, c’mon,” she meowed.  “Sparkstar won’t wait for long.”  Foxpaw leapt to her paws as Sparkstar leapt off of the Ancient Tower and padded towards the camp entrance.  The cats that were called followed after him.  He waited a few heartbeats before racing forward and out of camp.  The MossClan cats followed at his heels.  

 

Foxpaw was surprised that she easily kept up to the warriors and apprentices.  She had been spending most of her time cooped up in camp, except for her fighting session with Fallenpaw and when she went out to gather herbs.  It didn’t seem to take that long for them to dive into a cave entrance, and was surprised to see that Duskpaw was lagging behind and panting.  

 

The cave quickly got dark, and she had to use the scents of the cats of her Clan to guide her way.  After a few heartbeats, they emerged into a cavern that was filled with silver moonlight.  Foxpaw looked around.

 

In front of her was a pool, with a boulder in the middle.  A blue-gray she-cat with silver eyes was sitting patiently on top of it, with a cat she recognized as Embersoul was sitting below her.  She guessed that the she-cat was Streamstar, the leader of LeafClan.  Silver light reflected off of the water and onto their pelts.  Cats from LeafClan padded along the edges of the cave, talking to each other and turning their eyes to the newly arrived Clan.  

 

Sparkstar and Blazestorm immediately took their place on the boulder.  Moonleaf looked at her apprentice.  “Go on,” she meowed.  “Have fun, go talk to some other apprentices.”  Foxpaw nodded with a smile on her face before slipping away from MossClan and joining LeafClan.

 

“Hey, you!” A cat called.  Foxpaw’s ears perked as she turned her face towards a group of LeafClan apprentices.  One of them, the one that called out to her, had white fur with light and dark gray patches with amber eyes.  Another was a pure white, feathery-furred she-cat with golden eyes that reminded her of Sparkstar’s own, except that they looked much nicer than her leaders.  Another was a small, black she-cat with green eyes who looked like she just wanted to shrink into herself.  Finally, there was a shiny, black furred tom with white flecks and forest green eyes who was smiling.

 

The white she-cat who had called out to her was balanced on her haunches as she waved a forepaw in the air.  “Yeah, you!” she yowled.  “Come over here!”

 

Foxpaw hesitated for a second before she joined the four.  She sat down next to the two white she-cats.  “Hello,” she meowed, tilting her head as she looked at the white and gray she-cat went back to sitting down.  

 

“Hey!” The tom meowed.  “I’m Frogpaw, this-” he gestured to the black she-cat, “Is Cricketpaw, that-” she gestured to the white she-cat, who dipped her head to Foxpaw, “is Snowypaw, and the cat who just made the whole Gathering look at you is Rabbitpaw.”  Rabbitpaw let out a purr.

 

“I’m Foxpaw,” she meowed, watching as Snowypaw turned her eyes to something behind her.  The Medicine Cat turned her head to look at Chesterpaw and Fallenpaw, who padded past the group (but not without a nod from Fallenpaw and a smile and tail wave from Chesterpaw).

 

“Who were they?” Snowypaw asked.

 

“The big one’s Fallenpaw, and the black-furred one Chesterpaw,” Foxpaw meowed.  The white apprentice nodded.  

 

“You know, your fur’s really bright,” Frogpaw began.  “Who’s your mentor? They’ve gotta be pretty smart to hide it.”

 

Foxpaw flattened her ears against her head.  “Moonleaf.”

 

“Moonleaf’s your Clan’s Medicine Cat, right?” Cricketpaw’s soft voice asked.  Foxpaw nodded.  Frogpaw blinked before it must have clicked.  

 

“Oh,” he meowed.  

 

“That’s still pretty cool,” Rabbitpaw meowed.  “I mean, Medicine Cats are pretty high ranked, right?”

 

Foxpaw let out a sigh.  “Doesn’t feel like it sometimes.”   _ Most of the time,  _ she thought.  None of the other apprentices had a chance to respond before ScarClan came streaming into the cave.  A small, light gray she-cat with blazing amber eyes leapt to the boulder and joined the other leaders.  Foxpaw guessed that she was Storkstar.  Rainfrost, the Deputy, was a long tailed, brown pelted tabby she-cat with green eyes.  The cave only became more filled as the ScarClan cats easily slid into the other Clans.  

 

It only took a few heartbeats for the group of apprentices to be joined by a ScarClan apprentice.  He was a blue gray tom with a lighter face and rare, red eyes that almost matched Foxpaw’s fur color.  They weren’t bright enough for that.

 

“Mind if I join you?” he asked.  The cats shook their head.  He settled himself next to Rabbitpaw.  “I’m Driftpaw.”  Rabbitpaw took the responsibility upon herself of introducing the other apprentices.  

 

“Hey, hey!” Foxpaw turned her head to look at the sound of Chesterpaw’s voice, who looked like he was being gently tugged forward by a two toned, tan colored tom with brown eyes.  Fallenpaw and another apprentice, a black and white tom with gray fur tips and and amber eyes following behind him.  The four settled down next to them, Chesterpaw and Fallenpaw situating themselves on either side of Foxpaw while the two new apprentices sat next to Driftpaw.  

 

“Hey!” the tan tom meowed.  “I’m Peanutpaw, and this-” he gestured to the black, white, and gray tom, “is Smokeypaw.”  Again, the rest of the cats introduced themselves.  

 

Frogpaw, Rabbitpaw, and Peanutpaw immediately jumped into a conversation about training, or something like that.  Cricketpaw, Snowypaw, and Driftpaw moved a bit closer to Foxpaw, Fallenpaw, and Chesterpaw.  

 

“You three aren’t the only MossClan apprentices here, are you?” Snowypaw asked.  Foxpaw shook her head.  

 

“Ghostpaw, Lonepaw, and Duskpaw should be around here somewhere,” Fallenpaw meowed, licking his paw.  Foxpaw nudged him.  He looked over at her and put his paw down, before turning back towards the ScarClan and LeafClan cats.  

 

“Isn’t MossClan supposed to be…” Driftpaw let his voice trail off, like he was thinking about what he was trying to say.  

 

“Judgemental?” Cricketpaw softly suggested.  Driftpaw nodded.

 

Chesterpaw and Fallenpaw both flinched.  “Yeah,” Chesterpaw meowed.

 

“Why do you think Foxpaw’s a Medicine Cat?” Fallenpaw asked.  “If it was up to Ravensight and Swifteagle, she would be a warrior apprentice.”

 

“You were forced into it?” Snowypaw asked.  Foxpaw nodded.

 

“Sparkstar… well, let’s just say I’m not his favorite cat.”

 

“Why couldn’t you just talk to him?” Driftpaw asked.

  
“It was either Medicine Cat or exile.”  No cat had a chance to respond as Streamstar’s yowl rose above the chatter.  The cave was left eerily silent, and the leaders started speaking.


	12. Chapter Eleven

“LeafClan has been doing well,” Streamstar began.  “The prey has been running well, and we have four new apprentices, Snowypaw, Rabbitpaw, Cricketpaw, and Frogpaw.”  Snowypaw had her head held high as the Clans chanted their names, but it wasn’t with pride.  Rabbitpaw’s and Frogpaw’s, on the other paw, was.  Cricketpaw’s head was bowed, trying to hide beneath her littermates.

 

“ScarClan also has new apprentices, Smokeypaw and Peanutpaw.”  Smokeypaw looked a bit embarrassed, but there was a small smile on his face.  Peanutpaw, on the other paw, had stood up and looked around at the cats who were calling his name.  “We have also welcomed another loner into our ranks, Reggie.”  No cat cheered.  After all, MossClan was judgemental, and if you could say anything about LeafClan, it was that they were reserved.  No outsiders in, no Clan cat leaves.

 

“MossClan has three new apprentices: Lonepaw, Duskpaw, and Foxpaw,” Sparkstar meowed.  Foxpaw lifted her head a bit higher as the Clans called her name, but couldn’t help but feel a bit annoyed each time Lonepaw’s name was called.  So far, she had done a great job of avoiding the other apprentice, but it was only a matter of time before she had to work with her.  “Foxpaw has taken the position of Medicine Cat apprentice.”

 

“Unwillingly,” Chesterpaw growled.  Foxpaw let out a soft purr.  

 

“And Roseleaf has moved into the Nursery with Stormflame’s kits.”  Sparkstar dipped his head to the other leaders and sat down next to them.

 

“How can a Clan do that to a cat?!” Driftpaw hissed.  Foxpaw turned her head to look at him.  His fur was puffed up and his tail was thrashing back and forth.  

 

“Finally, a cat who understands,” Fallenpaw mewed.  

 

“Outside of MossClan,” Foxpaw quickly added.  

 

“Outside of Ravensight, Fallenpaw, me, Swifteagle, and Moonleaf,” Chesterpaw countered.  

 

“ScarClan would take you in,” Snowypaw meowed.  Foxpaw’s eyes widened.  

 

“Wh-what?” she asked.

 

“I  _ said _ ,” Snowypaw repeated, sounding exasperated, “ScarClan would take you in.”  She turned her eyes to the ScarClan apprentice.  “Right, Driftpaw?” 

 

Driftpaw nodded.  “They let me in.”

 

Foxpaw thought for a few heartbeats.  It was tempting.   _ Very _ tempting.  But then she remembered what Riversong had told her.  About changing MossClan, and about the disabled kit that was coming.  “I...I can’t,” she meowed.  Chesterpaw and Fallenpaw both turned their surprised gazes onto her.  “MossClan isn’t a good Clan, but… if I try hard enough, I might be able to change it.”

 

Cricketpaw’s ears perked.  “You think so?”  Riversong popped into her head once again.  

 

“I hope so.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter, but I wanted to finish up the Gathering, and I’ve got a lot of things in mind for this story.


	13. Chapter Twelve

"They should be coming any day now," Moonleaf meowed. Roseleaf, who was lying in her nest, let out a sigh of relief.

"I hope so," she mewed. "They won't hurt me as much once they're out." Foxpaw couldn't help but let out an amused purr.

"They might just bother you more," she meowed. Roseleaf nodded.

"Probably." Moonleaf stood and stretched.

"If anything happens, feel free to bother us. No matter when it is." The Queen nodded as the two Medicine Cats left the Nursery. "Foxpaw, you go rest. You've been working hard over the past few days."

"But I-"

"I'm going to go gather herbs. If someone goes into the Medicine Den, I know that you can take care of them. Now go on," Moonleaf nudged her apprentice towards their den. "You deserve some sleep." Foxpaw hesitated before nodding, and padded into her den and towards her nests.

It wasn't that she was okay with being a Medicine Cat, she didn't think she ever would be. All that she knew was that she had to prove that she could be useful. Cats with disadvantages that lived in MossClan, past and future, were depending on her. And to do that, she had to work hard at a job she hated.

She curled up in her nest and tucked her nose under her tail before falling asleep.

She woke up to a paw shaking her, and Moonleaf's voice in her ear. "Wake up!" her mentor hissed. "Roseleaf's kitting." Foxpaw was on her paws in a heartbeat. "Bring wet moss, a few poppyseeds, and raspberry leaves." The apprentice nodded and went into the main den. She took some moss from one corner of the den and dipped it in water, getting a few raspberry leaves and putting the poppyseeds in them before picking them up in her jaws. Moonleaf picked up the moss ball before she could, along with a thick stick, and the two cats left the Medicine Den and ran into the Nursery.

The Clan was already nervously gathered in camp. The moon was high in the sky, casting silver light onto their pelts. Foxpaw didn't even get a chance to acknowledge Chesterpaw, who had called out a 'good luck' before she dove into the dark den.

Roseleaf was obviously in pain. She was panting heavily, her side quickly going up and down with every breath. "Here," Moonleaf meowed, holding the stick out in front of the Queen. "Bite down on this." The sandy-colored she-cat bit down on the stick as the pure white Medicine Cat put a paw on her belly. Foxpaw set her herbs down and went to Moonleaf's side. The Medicine Cat started messaging the Queen's stomach. "When the kit comes out, nip at it's sac so it can breathe. Then lick its fur the wrong way." Foxpaw nodded as one kit slid out. She nipped at the sac and waited for a heartbeat.

The kit easily started breathing, letting out a cry. She started licking the kit, waiting for the next one to come out. "Stormflame!" Moonleaf yowled. "Come in here!" The brown tom was in the den in less than a heartbeat. "I want you to start licking the next kit," the tom nodded and padded to his mate's side. The next kit slid out with a muffled yowl. Moonleaf nipped at the sack and slid the kit to Stormflame without blinking an eye. Stormflame quickly set to licking the kit, and it started crying.

Finally, the last kit came out, and Moonleaf took care of that one. Unfortunately, that wasn't the end of Roseleaf's pain.

It was the end of her story, though.

Her stomach pain only seemed to get worse, even after Moonleaf and Foxpaw gave her the raspberry leaves and poppyseeds. The herbs didn't even have a chance to start working before she was bleeding, which didn't make sense to Foxpaw. How could she have been bleeding? Did one of the kits scratch her or something? Maybe. She watched as Moonleaf rushed around, seeming to forget about her apprentice. Instead, she did what she could, and kept licking the kit before Moonleaf snapped at her to press down on the cobwebs she had already gotten. She did, but the blood was already soaking through and turning her paws crimson. It wasn't long after that when Roseleaf stopped moving. And breathing. The she-cats listened to Stormflame as he yowled at his mate.

Was it selfish that the only thing Foxpaw's mind processed was that the crimson only made her fur look brighter? Yeah, it probably was.

"Foxpaw," Moonleaf mewed quietly, "help me take the kits to our den. They'll be staying with us until they become apprentices." Foxpaw numbly picked up a the kit she was licking, and stood. Moonleaf looked at the warrior in front of her. "Come see us when you're done here, alright?" Foxpaw wasn't sure if he had heard them before Moonleaf picked up two kits and padded out of the den.

Chesterpaw was immediately in front of Foxpaw. "How'd it go?" he asked. Foxpaw only shook her head before she went into their den, and to their nests. Foxpaw laid her kit down. Moonleaf ordered her to stay here and keep them warm while she went out to get something for the kits to eat. Foxpaw curled around the kits and looked at them.

One of them, a tom, was sandy-colored with brown paws, tail, and belly. Another, a she-cat, was his opposite, and the last was another she-cat with light brown fur and sandy ears, tail tip, and a fore paw. She thought that they all looked fine, until the light brown and sandy she-cat opened her dark eyes. Her dark eyes reminded her of Roseleaf, but her pupils were cloudy.

She already knew that she couldn't see. This was the kit that Riversong had told her about.


	14. Chapter Thirteen

“She’s blind,” was all that Foxpaw could tell her mentor and Stormflame when they sadly padded into the Medicine Cat’s nests.  “This she-kit is blind,” she gestured with her tail to the light brown and sandy kit.  Stormflame didn’t react, but he looked down at the three kits.  He hovered his paw over the tom.  

 

“Thornkit,” he meowed, before moving his paw over his opposite looking sister.  “Frostkit,” he meowed, then his paw hovered over the blind kit.  “Onyxkit.”

 

The Medicine Cat waited for a few moments before she nodded.  “I’ll go tell Sparkstar about Onyxkit,” she meowed.  Moonleaf stood and left the den, her tail drooping behind her.  Foxpaw stood and let Stormflame curl up next to his kits.  She curled up in the corner and tucked her nose under her tail.

 

She barely noticed as Moonleaf padded back into their nests, but she did notice her shaking her with her paw.  Foxpaw lifted her head and looked up at her mentor.

 

“Fallenpaw and Chesterpaw want to see you.”  Foxpaw nodded numbly and stood, padding out of their nests and the den.  The other two apprentices were waiting outside of the Medicine Den, and lit up when the saw her.

 

“Foxpaw!” Chesterpaw meowed, standing up and licking her between the ears.  Foxpaw let out a small purr as Fallenpaw pressed himself against Foxpaw’s side.  The red-furred apprentice noticed that sunlight was flooding through the trees.  She’d miss Roseleaf’s vigil.  

 

“What’re the new kit’s names, if you don’t mind me asking?” Fallenpaw asked.

 

“Thornkit, Frostkit, and Onyxkit.” Foxpaw meowed.  “...Onyxkit’s blind.”  The two littermates stiffened.

 

Foxpaw looked down at the ground as Chesterpaw pressed onto her other side.  

 

“Sparkstar isn’t going to take it well,” Fallenpaw meowed.  

 

“He probably didn’t,” Foxpaw meowed.  “Moonleaf already told him.”  The golden-eyed leader himself appeared on top of the Ancient Tower.

 

“All cats old enough to walk the stones gather beneath the Ancient Tower for a Clan Meeting!” he yowled.  Neither Chesterpaw nor Fallenpaw left Foxpaw’s side as Moonleaf sat next to the three apprentices.  The rest of the Clan slowly gathered.

 

“Flowpaw requires a new mentor,” Sparkstar began.  “Songshade, I believe that you are ready for your first apprentice.  I entrust the rest of Flowpaw’s training to you.”  The two cats half heartedly touched noses, and the Clan started to disperse.  “One more thing,” Sparkstar meowed.  “As you know, Roseleaf died giving birth to three kits: Thornkit, Frostkit, and Onyxkit.  Onyxkit is blind.  When she is old enough to survive on her own, she will no longer be a part of this Clan.”

 

Foxpaw felt Chesterpaw’s black fur rise in anger.  She didn’t have time to stop him as he stood and started walking, stopping in front of Sparkstar.  “You’re going to kick out a _kit_?!” he snarled up at the tom.

 

“Yes,” Sparkstar meowed calmly.  “She’s blind.  She could give nothing to this Clan.”

 

“You don’t know that!” Chesterpaw growled.  “You said the same thing about Foxpaw, and Moonleaf said that she’s turned into one of the best Medicine Cat she’s ever seen!”

 

“Shut up, apprentice!” Sparkstar growled.  “My word is law! As long as you’re part of this Clan, you’ll listen to me!”

 

“Then I’ll leave the Clan!”


	15. Chapter Fourteen

Foxpaw had only felt like this once: when Heartfall had told her that she was going to be a Medicine Cat apprentice.  Only this time, she kept listening to Sparkstar and Chesterpaw.  

 

“Now you need a cat to replace me, right? Thornkit and Frostkit won’t be enough, since you forced Foxpaw to be a Medicine Cat!” Chesterpaw snarled.  

 

Sparkstar narrowed his blazing golden eyes.  “Leave our territory by sunhigh,” he meowed, before turning tail and disappearing into the Ancient Tower.  Chesterpaw looked at Fallenpaw and Foxpaw.  He slowly padded back towards them.  Moonleaf stood as he stopped in front of them.

 

“I’ll go fetch Stormflame.”  Chesterpaw nodded with guilt in his eyes.  The white pelted she-cat turned tail and disappeared into the Medicine Den.  

 

“Why did you do it?” Foxpaw asked.  She could feel anger radiating off of Fallenpaw in waves, so she guessed that she would be able to ask in a much calmer fashion.

 

Chesterpaw plastered a sad smile onto his face.  “You said that you wanted to change the Clan, and if Onyxkit was exiled then it would only be harder for you.”

 

Foxpaw’s eyes widened.  “Y-you did it… for me?” she asked.  Chesterpaw nodded.

 

“You’re like a sister to me and Fallenpaw, you know?” Foxpaw looked up at Fallenpaw for confirmation, who nodded down at her.  Before either of them had time to say anything else, Stormflame padded out of the Medicine Den.  

 

The warrior stopped in front of his, now former, apprentice.  “I’d like to introduce you to my kits,” was all he said.  Chesterpaw nodded.  The brown tom stood and padded back into the Medicine Den, leaving Foxpaw and Fallenpaw outside.  

 

“Our father,” Fallenpaw began, “was a lot like Heartfall, in the way that he didn’t really care about Chesterpaw and I.  He died in a battle with ScarClan, but when he was alive he tried to train us before we were six moons.  Sort of like that story with Brokenstar, and ShadowClan? Except Sparkstar didn’t know about it.  The only other cat that knew about it was a loner, who we only talked to a few times.  He told us that family doesn’t end with blood, but it doesn’t start there, either.”

 

Foxpaw looked down at her paws again.  “I hope that Chesterpaw meets that loner again.”

 

Fallenpaw purred.  “I hope so, too.”  The two sat in silence for a bit, until Chesterpaw padded out of the den.  

 

He took a deep breath.  “Alright, let’s go,” he meowed.  The two other apprentices stood and walked with him as they padded through the camp and territory.  “You guys are gonna be bored without me,” Chesterpaw joked.

 

“We could just throw rocks at Ghostpaw, Amberpaw, and Flowpaw,” Fallenpaw meowed.  

 

“And we have Thornkit, Frostkit, and Onyxkit,” Foxpaw added.

 

“Could you two be anymore harsh?” Chesterpaw asked.

 

“Sorting herbs is more entertaining?” Foxpaw tried.

 

“That doesn’t sound a bit convincing,” Fallenpaw told her.  

 

“Do you want to try?”

 

“Listening to Swifteagle and Ravensight flirting is happier than talking with you,” Fallenpaw meowed.

 

“You delivered it well, but it’s not a convincing statement,” Foxpaw mewed.  The three stopped at a river for a few heartbeats.  Fallenpaw crossed the stones first, then Chesterpaw, then Foxpaw.  The three kept walking across the territory.

 

“Well, I guess we’ll never be convincing actors,” Chesterpaw meowed.  

 

“Hey, you haven’t tried yet,” Foxpaw meowed.  “Go on.”

 

“Uh…” he thought for a few heartbeats.

 

“And you fail,” Fallenpaw drawled out the first word.  

 

“Hey!”

 

Foxpaw let out a ‘mrow’ of laughter.  “We’re all doomed to tell the truth, aren’t we?”

 

“Fallenpaw has some lies in store for him,” Chesterpaw meowed.  

 

“As long as they’re slightly believable,” Foxpaw added.  “Congrats, Fallenpaw, you’re our resident liar.”  

 

“I feel… honored?” Fallenpaw meowed.

 

“You should be,” Chesterpaw meowed.  They stopped at the stream that marked the border between LeafClan and MossClan.  All of them stared into the tall grass, watching as the wind blew across it.  None of them wanted to start walking along the stream, until the grass started rustling.

 

Foxpaw instantly recognized Rabbitpaw and Cricketpaw as they appeared out of the grass.  “Foxpaw? Chesterpaw? Fallenpaw?” Rabbitpaw asked.  “What are you doing here?”

 

“I could ask the same,” Fallenpaw asked, his hackles rising.  Foxpaw took a couple pawsteps forward, using her tail to stop Fallenpaw.  

 

“Neither of us are a patrol, I think we both know that,” Foxpaw meowed.  “And we’re in a bit of a time crunch, so if you would excuse us-”

 

“Time crunch?” Cricketpaw’s quiet voice piped up.  

 

“It’s none of you-” Chesterpaw cut Fallenpaw off.

 

“Guys, it’s fine.”  The black tom took a few steps towards the border, looking at the two LeafClan apprentices.  “I’m leaving MossClan.  Sparkstar wants me out of the territory by sun high.”

 

“You’re _what?!”_ Rabbitpaw exclaimed, her fur standing on end.  “You can’t leave! You’re supposed to be loyal to your Clan ‘til the end!”

 

“Not if they were about to kick out a blind kit!” Chesterpaw argued back, his fur puffing up once again.

 

“What?” Cricketpaw asked.

 

“Roseleaf just died while she was giving birth to her kits: Thornkit, Frostkit, and Onyxkit,” Foxpaw began to explain.  “Onyxkit is blind.  Sparkstar said that once she was old enough to survive on her own, that she would have to leave the Clan.  Chesterpaw said that if he left, that the Clan would need a cat to replace him.”

 

The two LeafClan cats were silent.  “We’ll walk to the edge of the territories with you… if that’s okay,” Cricketpaw meowed.

 

“Cricketpaw!” Rabbitpaw hissed, obviously still mad about Chesterpaw’s decision.  Chesterpaw let a small smile curl onto his face.

 

“I’m not going to make you do that,” he meowed.  

 

“But if you want to,” Foxpaw quickly cut in.

 

“Foxpaw!” both Fallenpaw and Chesterpaw growled.  Foxpaw just shrugged.

 

“I’ll go,” Cricketpaw murmured.  Rabbitpaw muttered something under her breath.

 

“Only because Cricketpaw’s going,” she meowed, before she started leading the way on the LeafClan side of the border.  Chesterpaw stopped in between Fallenpaw and Foxpaw for a second.  

 

“Watch this,” he meowed, before catching up with Rabbitpaw.  “So, what’s it like in LeafClan?”

 

“None of your business!” she snapped.

 

“Aw, you aren’t going to tell a former MossClan cat?”

 

“I’m not going to tell any cat!” Rabbitpaw hissed.  Foxpaw shook her head as she watched Chesterpaw.  Fallenpaw just let out a sigh.  

 

“What about you, Cricketpaw?” Chesterpaw asked.  

 

“I-it’s fine,” Cricketpaw meowed.  

 

“See, Rabbitpaw?” Chesterpaw asked.  “Was that so hard?”  Rabbitpaw only glared before stopping.

 

“We’re here.”  

 

Foxpaw felt a sinking feeling in her stomach as her paws stopped.  She glanced at Fallenpaw, and based on the look in his eyes, he was feeling the same way.  Chesterpaw turned to look at the two MossClan apprentices.  

 

“Well, I guess that this is it,” he meowed.  Fallenpaw nodded.

 

“Yeah.”  

 

“Take care of yourself, okay?” Foxpaw meowed.  She could feel her eyes stinging.  Chesterpaw took a few pawsteps towards them, nuzzling into Fallenpaw’s shoulder, then Foxpaw’s.  Neither of them hesitated to nuzzle back.

  
“Good luck, Chesterpaw,” Fallenpaw meowed.  

 

"May StarClan light your path," Foxpaw added.  Chesterpaw nodded before he turned tail and left MossClan territory.


	16. Chapter Fifteen

“It’s not supposed to be this dark, is it?” Onyxkit asked, her ears twitching.  Thornkit and Frostkit were already outside of the den, exploring camp.  It was as if they could sense the weakness in their sister and left her behind as they spread their wings for the first time.  Foxpaw wondered if the same thing happened to Lonepaw.

 

“No, it’s not,” Foxpaw meowed, shaking her head even though she knew Onyxkit couldn’t see it.  “You can’t see, it’s called being blind.”

 

Onyxkit didn’t respond, her blind eyes staring in front of her unsettlingly as Foxpaw arranged some borage leaves.  “Can I ask you something?” she asked, her ear flicking.

 

“Sure,” Foxpaw asked, her voice a bit muffled by some leaves.  

 

“Stormflame said something about me being able to relate to you,”  Onyxkit turned her face towards Foxpaw.  “Why’s that?”

 

Foxpaw turned to look at the kit, finished with sorting the herbs.  “You know, it’s kind of creepy how smart you are,” Foxpaw meowed before padding and sitting down next to the blind she-kit.  “My fur’s a bright red, and Sparkstar didn’t like that.  He thought it would make it hard for me to hunt and easy for enemies to tell where I was, so he forced me to become a Medicine Cat.”

 

Onyxkit hesitated.  “Sight is really important, isn’t it?”

 

“You’ll be fine without it.”   _ You have to be. _  Foxpaw turned her eyes towards the roof of the den.   _ Riversong wouldn’t have told me to help you if you wouldn’t be. _

 

“Foxpaw!” The apprentice looked towards her mentor, who had just come out from their nests.  “Come on, we have a meeting to get to.”  Foxpaw nodded, standing up.  

 

“What meeting?” Onyxkit asked.

 

“Every Half Moon, the Medicine Cats go share tongues with StarClan at the Moon Fall,” Foxpaw explained.  “So, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, Onyxkit.”  Foxpaw bounded after her mentor, who had already left the den and was waiting for her apprentice in the middle of camp.  The red-furred cat quickly caught up to the Medicine Cat and the two cats left camp, easily padding across the territory.  

 

This time, Foxpaw wasn’t nervous.  She didn’t have to be: she knew what to expect and it was just like Falconclaw had told her before.  It was more of a formality than anything.  And this time, she had questions for Riversong.  Questions about Chesterpaw, about Onyxkit, about what she was supposed to do next.

 

Before she knew it, her and Moonleaf were at the border of MossClan territory, waiting for Emberflick to appear from in between the trees.  

 

“Are we going to tell them about Onyxkit?” Foxpaw asked.

 

“There isn’t a reason to, not until the Gathering,” Moonleaf meowed.  “We only have to say that we have three new kits, and that Roseleaf died in the kitting.”  The red-furred apprentice nodded.  A few heartbeats later, the ginger tom padded out from the trees and nodded to each cat.

 

“Moonleaf, Foxpaw,” he meowed.  Foxpaw nodded back to the ScarClan cat.

 

“Emberflick,” Moonleaf greeted, dipping her head.  Emberflick started padding along the border, Moonleaf padding along side him with Foxpaw a few tail lengths behind the two.

 

“How’s MossClan?” he asked.  Moonleaf let out a sigh.

 

“We’ve been better.  Our herbs and prey are well, and we just got new kits, but Roseleaf died in the kitting.”  

 

“I’m sorry about that,” Emberflick meowed.  “But she is with StarClan now.”  Moonleaf nodded in agreement.  

 

“Stormflame was devastated, but he does have his kits.  And ScarClan?”

 

“We’re running a bit short on feverfew, but we’re doing well.”

 

“You don’t have any cats with fevers, do you?” Moonleaf asked, tilting her head.  The tom shook his head.  

 

“No, not now.  But Leaf Fall is coming, and I’d like to stalk up.”

 

“Next meeting Foxpaw and I can bring some, if you haven’t found some already.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

Foxpaw watched as their surroundings changed: they left the trees behind and padded into the short grass that was covered with dew, padding towards the river that they knew was ahead of them.  The apprentice could hear the river before she could see it: she knew Moonleaf and Emberflick heard it too because they sped up a bit and a few heartbeats later they were at the river.  Farther down, Foxpaw could see a dark shape, which she took a safe guess was Falconclaw.  

 

They reached the stepping stones, Moonleaf and Foxpaw going across first and meeting up with Falconclaw, dipping their heads respectfully.  

 

“It’s nice to see you two again,” Falconclaw purred, looking at the MossClan cats.  “Anything new?”

 

Moonleaf told the other Medicine Cat about Roseleaf and her kits while Emberflick joined them on the other side of the river.  Falconclaw, like the other cats, gave his condolences while Moonleaf and Emberflick pulled ahead of the two younger Medicine Cats.

 

“What’re the kits names?”

 

Foxpaw blinked in surprise, looking up at Falconclaw.  “Thornkit, Frostkit, and Onyxkit,” she meowed.  He nodded.

 

“LeafClan just had some kits, too.  One of them seems very interested in becoming a Medicine Cat,” he explained, watching as the sun started to set.  Foxpaw nodded.  The two easily lapsed into silence as Moonleaf and Emberflick padded closer and closer to the Moon Fall.  

 

They padded down the path that lead to it, the mist already soaking the four cats fur.  The moon, already rising, reflected off of the stone as Moonleaf lapped up water from the pool at the base of the fall, gesturing with her tail for Foxpaw and the other Medicine Cats to do the same.  Foxpaw took a few pawsteps forward, drinking a few laps of the chilly water, then laid down and closed her eyes.  She felt the cold that she knew that she would never be able to get used to, 

 

When she opened her eyes again, she was on StarClan territory with Riversong in front of her.  She sat up and looked at the tom.  “Riversong!” she meowed happily.  

 

“Hello, Foxpaw,” he greeted, nodding to her.  “So you’ve met Onyxkit.”

 

She nodded.  “Yeah, I have,” she meowed.  “I don’t know how I’m supposed to help her.”

 

“It’s just like being a mentor,” Riversong meowed, curling his tail around his paws.  “You answer her questions and encourage her.”

 

“I think she’s already started to lose hope.”

 

“She’s a kit, it shouldn’t be hard to get back.  Introduce her to Fallenpaw, or maybe he introduced himself in your absense.”  Foxpaw nodded.

 

“And… I had another question.”

 

“Yes?” Riversong tilted his head.

 

“What’ll happen to Chesterpaw?”

 

The StarClan cat thought for a few heartbeats.  “Chesterpaw has things in his future.  He’ll meet a cat and gain new ancestors, and a few new names.  But StarClan will always be open to him.”  Foxpaw was still a bit confused, but she nodded.  “Now, go.  Your Clan is waiting for you.”  She looked down at her paws to see them fading, and she could feel herself waking up.  

  
Foxpaw opened her eyes at the Moon Fall, and lifted her head.  She was starting to notice these meetings were unfairly short.


	17. Chapter Sixteen

Foxpaw trudged back into camp with a yawn, and was greeted by Fallenpaw.  “So, how did it go?” he asked.  Foxpaw nodded and smiled.

 

“Good,” she meowed.  “Apparently, there’s some new kits in LeafClan.”  She wished that she could tell him what Riversong told her about Chesterpaw, but she knew that she couldn’t.  It was against the Medicine Cat Code: the Code she had pledged and been forced to follow.  

 

“Really?” Fallenpaw asked, padding next to her as she padded towards the fresh-kill pile.  Foxpaw nodded.  “How’d you find that out? LeafClan cats don’t tell outsiders… well, anything.”

 

“Falconclaw told me.  He didn’t tell me their names, only that one of them seemed interested in becoming a Medicine Cat.”

 

The tom blinked.  “You can tell that soon?”  Foxpaw shrugged, picking a mouse.  

 

“Apparently, if you’re really interested.  Maybe MossClan just doesn’t get a lot of cats like that.”  She settled down and took a bite of her mouse.  

 

“Foxpaw!” The apprentice turned her head to look at Onyxkit, who was carefully making her way across the clearing.  Fallenpaw blinked.

 

“She’s determined, I’ll give her that,” he meowed as the blind kit tripped over her paws, but was back up a heartbeat later.  “She’s been falling down a lot since you’ve been gone.”

 

“Hey, Onyxkit!” Foxpaw meowed once the kit reached the two.  

 

“How was the meeting?” the light brown and sandy she-kit asked.  “Did StarClan tell you anything cool?”

 

Foxpaw could honestly say that now that Onyxkit was acting more like a kit, she was easier to get along with.  “Sorry, I can’t tell you anything.”  The kit deflated, her ears and head drooping.  

 

“I know, I want to know, too,” Fallenpaw meowed.  Onyxkit’s ears perked again as she listened to the new voice.

 

“Who’re you?” she asked.

 

“Fallenpaw.”

 

“Fallenpaw?” Onyxkit repeated, tilting her head.  “I’ve heard about you.”

 

“Really?” Foxpaw asked.  The kit nodded.

 

“I heard a few warriors talking about a cat leaving, and they said ‘poor Fallenpaw, they were so close’.” Foxpaw felt the large tom stiffen next to her.

 

“I, uh, I think Ravensight called for me,” he meowed quickly, making his leave.

 

“I didn’t hear anything,” Onyxkit mewed.  Foxpaw sighed.

 

“That cat leaving that you heard the warriors talking about? That was Chesterpaw, Fallenpaw’s brother,” she began to explain.  She hesitated for a few heartbeats.  “He left for you.”

 

“Wait, what?” the kit asked.

 

Foxpaw sat up, her mouse seeming very unappetizing now.  “MossClan is a very judgemental Clan.  If cats don’t fit in, like us, we either get forced into being a Medicine Cat or get exiled from the Clan.  Chesterpaw wasn’t about to let a kit, blind or not, get kicked out with no training, so he thought that if he left that would leave a position to fill, and Sparkstar would be forced to fill it with you.  And, as you can tell, it’s still a bit of a touchy subject for Fallenpaw.”

 

Onyxkit turned her blind gaze towards the ground.  “Do you have any littermates?”

 

“Well, Chesterpaw told me before he left that Fallenpaw and him looked at me like a sister, but other than them…”

 

“No, I mean like Thornkit, Frostkit, and I.”

 

“Oh,” Foxpaw meowed.  Unconsciously, she perked her ears, listening for her sister's soft voice or Duskpaw’s admiring presence.  After all, Duskpaw was a shadow: if he was there, Lonepaw was, too.  “Lonepaw,” she meowed, before letting out a yawn.  “I’m going to get some sleep.  See you later, Onyxkit,” she purred, before heading off to the Medicine Den.

 

* * *

 

 

“All cats old enough to walk the stones gather beneath the Ancient Tower for a Clan meeting!”  Foxpaw shot a glance towards Moonleaf before she started padding out of the Medicine Den, Thornkit and Frostkit trying to sneak past them.

 

“I’m sorry,” Moonleaf began, “but neither of you look old enough to walk the stones,” she meowed.  

 

“Oh, please, Moonleaf!” Thornkit complained.  

 

“Just let us listen!” Frostkit added.  Foxpaw shook her head.

 

“Hey, I didn’t get to listen, either,” she meowed, before leaving the den and sitting at the mouth of it.  Moonleaf came out a few heartbeats later.  

 

“Kits,” she meowed.  “How do queens handle them without going insane?”

 

“You’ve been doing fine,” Foxpaw meowed, curling her tail around her paws and looking up at Sparkstar as the Clan gathered.  Ghostpaw, Flowpaw, and Amberpaw were all sitting proudly in the center of camp, their fur groomed to perfection.

 

 _Oh, right,_ Foxpaw thought.   _Their final assessment was today._  

 

“Today,” Sparkstar began,  “We are here to watch three apprentices become warriors.  Rushsong,” Sparkstar turned his eyes to the gray she-cat.  “Do you believe that Ghostpaw is ready to become a warrior?”

 

Rushsong nodded.  “With every bone in my body, Sparkstar.”  Sparkstar nodded before turning his golden glare to the next mentor.

 

“Goldenapple, do you believe that Amberpaw is ready to become a warrior?”

 

The russet pelted warrior nodded.  “Yes, I do.  She has trained hard and well for this Clan.”

 

Sparkstar nodded again, before turning to Songshade.  “Songshade, do you believe that Flowpaw is ready to become a warrior?”

 

Songshade nodded.  “I didn’t start Flowpaw’s warrior training, but I saw the results.  Roseleaf has made a fine warrior for this Clan, Sparkstar.”  The leader nodded before turning his gaze to the sky.  

 

“I, Sparkstar, leader of MossClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon these apprentices.  They have trained hard to understand your noble code, and we commend them to you as warriors in their turn.”  He turned his eyes back towards the three apprentices sitting below the tower.  “Ghostpaw, Amberpaw, Flowpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?”

 

“I do,” no apprentice hesitated with their answer, and their voices rang out across the clearing proudly.

 

“Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior names.  Ghostpaw, from this moment on you shall be known as Ghostheart.  StarClan honors your courage and strength, and we welcome you as a full warrior of MossClan.”  Sparkstar leapt from the Ancient Tower and rested his muzzle on Ghostheart’s head, while Ghostheart licked his shoulder.  Sparkstar turned to Amberpaw.

 

“Amberpaw, from this moment on you shall be known as Amberbreeze.  StarClan honors your speed and stealth, and we welcome you as a full warrior of MossClan.”  The two cats repeated the action, before the golden-eyed leader turned his gaze to Flowpaw.  

 

“Flowpaw, from this moment on you shall be known as Flowstream.  StarClan honors your wit and recovery, and we welcome you as a full warrior of MossClan.”  Again, the two cats repeated the action before the Clan chanted their names.

 

“Ghostheart! Amberbreeze! Flowstream! Ghostheart! Amberbreeze! Flowstream!”

 

Foxpaw joined in halfheartedly, but she felt a bit happy for Flowstream.  Ghostheart and Amberbreeze had both terrorized and threatened her before, but Flowstream hadn’t.  Couple that with the death of Roseleaf, Foxpaw thought that she deserved her warrior name.  Once the cheering ended, Foxpaw turned to face her mentor.

 

“Moonleaf?”

 

“Mm?” The she-cat looked over at her apprentice.  

 

“What’s a Medicine Cat ceremony like?”  A smile grew on Moonleaf’s face.  

  
“You’ll just have to find out, won’t you?”


	18. Chapter Seventeen

The hardest part of the next few days of Foxpaw’s life was dealing with the kits.  Since there weren’t any new queens in MossClan, the job of taking care of the kits had fallen to Moonleaf and Foxpaw.  And since part of the Medicine Cat code was that they couldn’t have kits, unprepared was an understatement.

 

Thornkit was a bundle of energy, determined to turn MossClan on its head and instantly gained Lonepaw and Duskpaw’s attention.  With Frostkit, an always thinking and clumsy ball of fur on his heels, they could tear up the camp in a matter of heartbeats if Foxpaw or Moonleaf weren’t watching them.

 

Onyxkit was easier.  She was smart, quiet, and playful.  Usually, when Fallenpaw got back from training with Ravensight, he’d sit down with her and talk or use her enhanced senses to make up games to play with her.  But even without the extra work of Onyxkit, Foxpaw always collapsed into her nest, exhausted from chasing after Thornkit and Frostkit the whole day.

 

“No, no, Thornkit!” Foxpaw yowled, chasing after the kit.  “You can’t dig up the Elders den even though we don’t have any Elders!” She let out a sigh as she gently batted the kit away from the stone den.

 

Thornkit let out a laugh.  “You’re strong for a Medicine Cat!”

 

“Well, Medicine Cats have battle training, too,” Foxpaw meowed.  She shook her head.  “Why can’t you just play moss ball like a normal kit?”

 

“Cause it sounds boring,” Thornkit complained.  Foxpaw’s ears perked.

 

“You’ve never played moss ball?” she asked.  He shook his head.  

 

“Go find your sisters, you’re playing it.”

 

“Aw, I have to play with Onyxkit?” he complained.

 

“Well, you need more than two kits to play.  Besides, you two are loud enough that no cat needs to see to tell where you are.” 

 

“Why can’t you play with us?”

 

“Because I’m a busy apprentice with work to do.”  Thornkit stuck his tongue out at Foxpaw before going off through camp, ducking his head into dens and alcoves, looking for his sisters.  Foxpaw padded into the Medicine Den and quickly made a ball of moss, padding back into the center of camp and waited for the kits.  Soon enough, all three of them came padding out towards the red she-kit.  

 

“Frostkit, catch!” Foxpaw mewed, tossing the ball to the she-kit.  The she-kit fumbled with it, the ball easily sliding to Thornkit instead.  “Guard it with your life, Thornkit.  The objective of the game is to get the ball.  Whoever has it at the end of the game, wins.”  

 

Thornkit rolled his eyes.  “Still sounds dumb to m-” he got cut off by Onyxkit swiping her paw out, bringing the moss ball closer to her and protecting it with her body.  “Hey! That’s not fair, I wasn’t ready yet!”

 

“Then try to get it back!” Onyxkit mewed, smiling.

 

“Oh, it’s on!” Foxpaw watched as Onyxkit’s ears twitched at the slightest sound, but even so, eventually Thornkit got the ball back, and then Frostkit fell on him which let Onyxkit get the ball back to her.  Foxpaw shook her head.   _ Kits, _ she thought, before going back into the den and taking a nap.

  
Maybe introducing the kits to moss ball would help take some of her load off, though.


	19. Chapter Eighteen

Moss ball had quickly turned into the kits favorite game, giving Foxpaw and Moonleaf some extra time to work, which the two cats took happily.  While one watched the kits, the other would leave to gather herbs or check their stocks or sort the herbs.  It felt like they had fallen into a chaotic sort of rhythm over the past quarter moon, and that the two Medicine Cats were finally getting a handle on watching over the kits.  

 

“Foxpaw,” Moonleaf meowed.  “Would you watch the kits for me? I’d like to go gather some coltsfoot.”  The apprentice tilted her head.

 

“Usually you send me out,” she mewed.

 

“The kits seem to like you better.”  Foxpaw blinked before she padded out of the den, watching the three kits fight over a scrappy moss ball.  She noticed Stormflame cast a loving look their way before he left on patrol.  Moonleaf padded out of the Medicine Den and camp, her tail swishing behind her.  Foxpaw took a few pawsteps towards the kits before a new voice made her freeze.

 

“Hey, Foxdung,” Ghostheart mewed, a smirk on his face.  Foxpaw rolled her eyes.  

 

“What do you want, Ghostheart?” she meowed.

 

“What, I can’t come see the Clan’s Medicine Cat apprentice?”

 

“Not when you haven’t left the camp all day.”  The new warrior mocked hurt.

 

“Aw, you wound me.”  

 

“Is something wrong?” Foxpaw turned her head to look up at Fallenpaw, who had padded over to the two cats.  

 

“No,” Ghostheart meowed.

 

“Yes,” Foxpaw argued.  The older tom rolled his eyes.  

 

“Yeah, yeah, now run along now Fallenpaw.”

 

“Why should I?” the apprentice asked, sitting down next to Foxpaw.  “Foxpaw does happen to be my friend.”

 

“I’m a  _ warrior _ now, Fallenpaw,” Ghostheart hissed.  “You have to listen to me.”

 

“You’re not his mentor,” Foxpaw meowed.  “And you’re the cat that came up to me.  I also have to watch Thornkit, Frostkit, and Onyxkit, and Fallenpaw helps.”  

 

Ghostheart’s smirk grew.  “You might need that help for Onyxkit, she is blind after all.”  

 

“Onyxkit would probably make a better warrior than you someday,” Foxpaw meowed, turning her head to look at the kits.  

 

The warrior’s fur bristled.  “Watch your tongue, Medicine Cat.”  Foxpaw could feel Fallenpaw bristling beside her, but she settled her tail on one of his paws.  The red furred cat shrugged.

 

“Onyxkit has a lot of potential, Ghostheart.  You should watch her sometime.”  The next thing Foxpaw knew, Ghostheart has scratched her across the face and Fallenpaw and pinned the warrior to the ground.  She felt blood making it’s way down her face, a drop falling onto the ground.

 

Maybe she should have paid attention to Ghostheart’s anger issues before, or prioritized them.  She felt the whole Clan stop and stare at them, and watched with wide eyes as Fallenpaw and Ghostheart snarled at each other.  Ghostheart was about to kick the large apprentice off of him, until an authoritative voice cut through the air.

 

“Enough!” The three cats turned to see Blazestorm padding towards them, his eyes narrowed.  “Fallenpaw, get off of him.”  The brown furred apprentice hesitated for a second before stepping off of Ghostheart, letting the warrior get up and shake the dust from his gray fur.  “Ghostheart, I hope you know that you are going to be punished for attacking a Medicine Cat.”  Blazestorm fixed the new warrior with a piercing glare.  “Come with me.  We’ll discuss your punishment when Sparkstar comes back.”  He turned on his heel, Ghostheart hesitantly following at his tail.  

 

Fallenpaw turned to look at Foxpaw as the three kits rushed over to her.  “Foxpaw!” they squeaked, looking up at her.  “Are you okay?” Frostkit asked, her eyes wide with concern.  

 

“I’ll be fine,” Foxpaw meowed.  “I can take care of it.  Fallenpaw, want to help me?” she asked.  The older apprentice nodded, the four cats following at her heels as she padded into her den.  She got up onto her hind legs and fished out some goldenrod, passing it to Fallenpaw.  “Chew that into a poultice and lick it onto the wound, and then I’ll put some cobwebs onto it.”  Fallenpaw nodded, taking the goldenrod into his jaws and starting to chew.

 

“Next time I see Ghostheart I’m going to-” Thornkit began, his tiny claws scratching the floor of the den.

 

“No, you’re not,” Foxpaw meowed.  “You’re a kit, and he’s a trained warrior.”

 

“But he attacked you!” Frostkit added.

 

“And called you Foxdung!” Onyxkit put in.

 

“A lot of cats in MossClan call me that, last time I checked,” Foxpaw mewed.  Fallenpaw gave Foxpaw’s face a rough lick to the face.  “Geez, Fallenpaw, I know I don’t have a healing touch or anything, but could you go a bit gentler?”  The tom mumbled out a ‘sorry’ around the poultice before continuing to lick it onto Foxpaw’s face.  When he was done, he stood and started pacing around the den as Foxpaw hooked some cobwebs onto her paws, leaning down to put her onto her face over the goldenrod.

 

“First it’s Ghostheart, next it’s going to be Amberbreeze, then they’re going to rope Flowstream into it!” he growled.  

 

Foxpaw rolled her eyes.  “You heard what Blazestorm said, they’re going to give Ghostheart a punishment for attacking me.  No cat can just attack a Medicine Cat and get away with it.”

 

“That’s not the point!” Fallenpaw hissed.  “You know that Sparkstar is going to go easy on him because he’s  _ Ghostheart _ and he’s a  _ warrior _ who attacked _ Foxpaw _ !” The three kits seemed to shrink in on themselves, watching and listening as Fallenpaw and Foxpaw went back and forth.  “It happened when you snuck out when you were kits! He made you clean out the apprentices den for a moon and Lonepaw got nothing because ‘she was smart enough not to do it again!’ It happened when he agreed with Heartfall to force you to become a Medicine Cat while he made himself Lonepaw’s mentor, and now it’s happening again!”

 

“Fallenpaw,” Foxpaw meowed, her tail flicking as she looked up, finished with her cobwebs.  “We live in MossClan, of course he’s going to go against me.  I’m surprised Blazestorm didn’t.  The only reason I know he didn’t was because I’m a Medicine Cat.”  The cats turned their head as Moonleaf padded into the den, her green eyes widening when she saw Foxpaw.  She dropped her coltsfoot and rushed over to her apprentice, inspecting the cobwebs and goldenrod.

 

“What happened?” she exclaimed, looking her over for any other injuries.

 

“Ghostheart,” Fallenpaw growled.

 

“I’m fine, Moonleaf,” Foxpaw meowed as her mentor narrowed her eyes.  

 

“Yeah, because us and Fallenpaw are going to become the Foxpaw Protection Squad!” Thornkit meowed happily, sticking out his chest.  

 

“Yeah!” Frostkit and Onyxkit agreed in unison. Foxpaw just shook her head.


	20. Chapter Nineteen

Ghostheart’s punishment was clearing out the nests in the warrior’s den for half a moon.  The other warriors only scoffed at him, as if Foxpaw wasn’t even worth their time.  And to them, she probably wasn’t.  But right now, she had other concerns as she peeled off the cobwebs and groomed off the goldenrod.  The Gathering was tonight.  It was the first Gathering since Chesterpaw left the Clan and since the kits were born.  Foxpaw left the Medicine Den, her tail flicking and waited for Sparkstar to call the cats to attention.

 

She didn’t have to wait long, and cats were already in the clearing, so Sparkstar just padded out to the top of the Ancient Tower and looked at his cats.  “As you already know, the Gathering is tonight,” he meowed.  “Blazestorm, Moonleaf, Featherfire, Songshade, Snowleopard, Ashflare, Goldenapple, Rushsong, Ravensight, Ghostheart, Flowstream, Amberbreeze, Fallenpaw, Foxpaw, and Lonepaw will all be going.”  Sparkstar leapt off of the stone tower, racing out of camp.  Foxpaw met up with Fallenpaw, both of them running alongside each other.

 

“Lonepaw’s probably going to be mad that Duskpaw isn’t coming,” Foxpaw meowed.

 

“Duskpaw’s going to be mad that he can’t go somewhere Lonepaw’s going,” Fallenpaw meowed.  “Have you seen him sulk when Sparkstar takes her out training?”  Foxpaw nodded, a purr rumbling in her chest.  

 

“I wonder how annoyed Snowleopard gets,” Foxpaw added.

 

“Very, trust me,” Fallenpaw told her.  “Ravensight and Snowleopard have had us do fighting sessions together because Snowleopard thinks it’ll help Duskpaw, and he sulks the entire time.  You can feel the anger coming from him.”  Foxpaw let out a ‘mrow’ of laughter.  

 

“And if he was training with Lonepaw he would be all over her,” Foxpaw added.  “‘No, I can’t hurt her, she’s Lonepaw!’ ‘Oh, Lonepaw, you’re awesome at fighting!’” Fallenpaw purred, nodding in agreement as the cats dove into the cave entrance, the cave quickly becoming dark.  Foxpaw fell behind the larger tom, following his scent through the tunnel.  After a few heartbeats, they emerged into the cave that was bathed in silver moonlight.  

 

“Foxpaw! Fallenpaw!” a familiar voice meowed, causing the two apprentices to turn their heads.  They saw Driftpaw, Peanutpaw, and Smokeypaw, all of them looking happy to see them.  The two padded over to them.  

 

“Hey, Driftpaw, Peanutpaw, Smokeypaw,” Fallenpaw greeted, sitting down.  “How’ve you been?”

 

“Alright,” Driftpaw meowed, flicking his tail.  “And how about you two?” he asked, barely glancing at Foxpaw as he asked the question.

 

“Well…” Foxpaw began.  “We’ve been better, but you’ll hear about it from Sparkstar.”

 

“It’s been an eventful moon,” Fallenpaw added.  

 

“Aw,” Peanutpaw began, “but you two are great! You’ll be fine!” he meowed, a bright smile on his face.

 

“Thanks, Peanutpaw,” Foxpaw purred, flicking her tail and LeafClan streamed into the cave.  It only took a few heartbeats for Frogpaw to pad up with Snowypaw on his heels.  

 

“Hey, guys!” Frogpaw meowed, sitting down next to Smokeypaw.  “Cricketpaw and Rabbitpaw aren’t here this time,” he explained.  Snowypaw sat down next to Foxpaw.

 

“They told us about Chesterpaw,” she meowed lowly to the MossClan apprentices at Frogpaw happily took up a conversation with the ScarClan apprentices.  “I can’t say that I completely agree with him, but I wouldn’t just let Streamstar kick out a kit, either.”

 

“I’m glad you aren’t as mad as Rabbitpaw was,” Fallenpaw meowed.

 

“Well, both of you were close with him.”  The three apprentices turned to look at the other apprentices, joining in on their conversation.

 

“-and Cricketpaw just dropped her vole on the kit!” Frogpaw finished, a large smile on his face.  Peanutpaw let out a ‘mrow’ of laughter, and Smokeypaw let out a soft chuckle.

 

“Excuse me,” a soft voice cut in.  Foxpaw turned her head to look at the silver and white she-cat that was Lonepaw.  “Mind if I join you?” Snowypaw shook her head, letting Lonepaw sit next to her.  “I’m Lonepaw,” she introduced.

 

“I’m Snowypaw, and these-” she gestured to each cat with her tail as she introduced them, “are Frogpaw, Smokeypaw, Peanutpaw, and Driftpaw.  I’m assuming that you already know these two,” Snowypaw finished, flicking an ear at the other two MossClan apprentices.  Lonepaw nodded.  

 

“It’s nice to meet you,” she mewed.  “I didn’t get to meet a lot of cats at my last Gathering.”  Foxpaw narrowed her eyes.

 

“What were you doing last Gathering?”

 

“Ghostheart dragged Duskpaw and I around the entire time.”

 

“And he isn’t now?” Fallenpaw asked, tilting his head.

 

“I slipped away.”  Foxpaw nodded slowly, looking back at the other apprentices.   _ Sure, sure she did.  And since Ghostheart was dragging her around, Amberbreeze and Flowstream were, too. _

 

“You slipped away from a warrior?” Peanutpaw asked.  “We’ve only been training for two moons! Your mentor must be great!” 

 

Lonepaw nodded.  “Sparkstar is a good teacher.”

 

Driftpaw, who was licking his paw, paused mid-lick.  “ _ Sparkstar _ is your mentor?!” he asked.  The rest of the apprentices had a similar reaction, such as Frogpaw almost tripping over his own paws even though he wasn’t even moving.  Lonepaw just nodded as Storkstar called the cats to attention.  Foxpaw turned her head and looked at the Clan leaders, watching them as the cats quieted down.

 

“ScarClan is well.  Prey is going well and we’ve had no unwanted predators,” she meowed, her voice echoing across the clearing.

 

“There are new additions in LeafClan,” Streamstar meowed.  “Other than that, we have nothing new to share.”

 

Sparkstar took a deep breath before he began.  “Roseleaf gave birth to her kits and passed away in the kitting.  Chesterpaw has left our Clan.  We have three new warriors, Ghostheart, Amberbreeze, and Flowstream.”

 

“Chesterpaw left?” Smokeypaw asked, his voice quiet.  Fallenpaw and Foxpaw looked over at him, Fallenpaw nodding.  Driftpaw shook his head.  

 

“I’m sorry, you three did seem pretty close.”  He tilted his head.  “Weren’t you three littermates, or something?” Fallenpaw and Foxpaw let out a purr while Lonepaw shook her head.

 

“Only Fallenpaw and Chesterpaw are littermates,” she meowed.  “Foxpaw and I are, as well,” she added.  

 

“Lonepaw! Fallenpaw!” the three MossClan cats turned at the sound of Featherfire’s voice.  “Come one, it’s time to go!” she yowled.  Foxpaw looked back at the other cats.  

 

“Well, it looks like that’s our que.  See you next Gathering?” 

 

“Or at the border!” Frogpaw added.  Fallenpaw nodded.

 

“Tell Cricketpaw and Rabbitpaw we said hello,” he meowed, before Foxpaw, Fallenpaw, and Lonepaw went off to join their Clan.


	21. Chapter Twenty

Leaf Fall came with the cooler temperatures and the leaves starting to change color.  Foxpaw was entranced by it: she’d always thought that when the mist or fog would hover in the forest it was beautiful, but that joined with the glittering water and orange and red leaves that were starting to fall was breathtaking.  Most cats in MossClan seemed to agree, and even though they knew that with Leaf Fall came all animals preparation for Leaf Bare, it was a truly beautiful season and they took some time to appreciate it as such.  

 

When Fallenpaw saw how in awe she was when she saw the first leaf falling down in and land in the ground in front of her paws, he just let out a purr and told her to wait for New Leaf.  The kits seemed to like the season just as much as Foxpaw, Thornkit and Frostkit leaping up and catching leaves between their paws as if they were birds and Onyxkit’s ears were twitching at every small crinkle of a dry leaf under a cat’s paw.  

 

But, just because the season was beautiful didn’t mean that Foxpaw’s life got any easier.  She still had three kits to watch, the Clan still hated her, and she still had to prove herself in a job that she hated.  “Foxpaw!” Moonleaf’s call came from farther into the den.  “We need to stalk up on catmint, and I’d like to start early,” she meowed.  “Could you go out and pick some?” The red furred apprentice nodded.  “Thank you,” her mentor meowed, before she focused back on her herbs.  

 

Foxpaw turned on her heel and padded out of the den, leaving camp and inhaling the cool air.  She licked her lips as she went, padding across the damp earth with a skip in her step.  When was the last time she’d left camp? The Gathering, and that had been, what, a quarter moon ago? Being a Medicine Cat really gave up your right to getting out much.  She heard rustling in the bushes from next to her and stopped in her tracks.  She looked towards the plant, wondering if either a startled animal or angered warrior would come from them.

 

Her answer was neither: a second later Lonepaw appeared from out of the bushes with a minnow hung loosely in her jaws.  The cats of MossClan didn’t use the water in their territory to hunt much, they had more than enough prey on land, but a food source was a food source and they weren’t about to give it up and a fish every once in awhile made a nice meal.  

 

Foxpaw just kept running into her silver furred sister lately: first at the Gathering, then she had come into the Medicine Den with a thorn in her paw the next day, then the usually aware Onyxkit said that she didn’t know Lonepaw was there and bumped into her the next day, and now this.

 

“Oh, Foxpaw,” Lonepaw mewed in that irritatingly soft voice she had that made Foxpaw want to scratch something.  “What are you doing out of camp?”

 

“Gathering catmint for Moonleaf,” Foxpaw meowed, her eyes narrowed.  “What are you doing away from Sparkstar?” 

 

“He’s letting me hunt alone today, and I decided to get some fishing done,” she answered calmly, and that just bothered Foxpaw even more.   _ How mad would Fallenpaw be if I tried to scratch her eyes out? _ she thought.  “Would you mind if I helped you with the catmint? I don’t really know where it is, or what it smells like, or what it looks like, but I could help you carry it.”  He would be very mad, she decided.  

 

“Yeah, sure, whatever,” Foxpaw meowed, flattening her ears as she patted forward, towards the middle of their territory.  She could hear Lonepaw behind her, padding quietly through the forest and sniffing the air.

 

“What will it smell like?” she asked.

 

“Really good,” Foxpaw told her.

 

“Really good?” Lonepaw asked, sounding surprised.  “Most herbs smell…”

 

“Bad, I know, you don’t have to remind me.”  The other she-cat didn’t respond as she stopped near some kind of special structure that Moonleaf had promised to show her later, but she still never had been shown it.  

 

“The catmint’s here?” Lonepaw asked.  Foxpaw nodded.

 

“Yeah, why’s that so special?” she asked, padding forward towards the plant that was right next to the structure built to go under ground.

 

“Well…” Lonepaw trailed off for a few heartbeats.  “On the tour of the territory, Sparkstar promised me he’d show me this later, but he never did.”  Foxpaw’s ears perked, turning her head to look at her sister.

 

“Really?” she nodded.  “Moonleaf told me the same thing.  Forget the catmint, we’re going down there.”  Foxpaw turned and padded towards the structure, stopping at the top.  From here, it looked like there were a lot of blocks that were made so that it was easier to go down step by step, and it seemed like they should have a name but she had no idea what it was.  

 

“Wait!” Lonepaw meowed, stopping next to her sister.  “What if we get caught, like when we snuck out of camp?”  Foxpaw rolled her eyes.

 

“Well, we know you won’t get in trouble.”

 

“No, I mean what will happen to  _ you _ .”  The red furred apprentice blinked, surprised at the statement.  “You saw what happened when Ghostheart scratched you, no cat thought that was a fair punishment, but he attacked you so that’s what he got.”

 

“You’re just like Fallenpaw,” Foxpaw meowed.  “We’ll be fine, it’s just a quick look.  And you can’t tell me you’re not curious.”  At that, Lonepaw’s argument fell apart.  She shook her head.

 

“Alright, but I’m leading the way.”  Lonepaw turned and padded down the stone blocks, Foxpaw on her heels.  The farther down they went, the darker it was.  There wasn’t any light, so she just waited for her eyes to adjust, which only took a few heartbeats.  The floor evened out under their paws, her tail flicking from side to side in excitement.  The walls around them were smooth, unlike the stone walls in camp.  They were still stone, but they looked like they were made out of a different type of stone.  Lonepaw slowly padded forward, taking in their surroudings.

 

“This place is amazing,” Foxpaw meowed.  Lonepaw nodded in agreement as they padded on.  They saw a room at the end of the hallway, and Foxpaw picked up her pace, bounding across the clean stone floor (when she looked down at it, she could see a bit of her own reflection). 

 

“Foxpaw!” Lonepaw hissed, catching up to her sister.  The two stopped in the entrance to the room, staring.

 

The entrance had two wire like doors, that were pushed out of the room and open.  Inside the room was a bunch of stones, with strange markings carved into them.  The stones were perfectly square, standing out only a bit from the rest of the wall.  Towards the bottom, was some arch ways with stone boxes slid into them.  Foxpaw had never seen anything like it, and was very interested.  

 

“Whoa,” Lonepaw meowed.

 

“This is amazing,” Foxpaw added, Lonepaw nodding in agreement.

 

“But we should get back to camp,” she meowed.  Foxpaw noticed a nervous look in her eye.  “Moonleaf will start getting suspicious soon,” she meowed.  

 

Foxpaw nodded, even though she doubted it.  “Yeah, sure,” she meowed slowly, allowing Lonepaw to lead the way out of the strange room.


	22. Chapter Twenty-One

Foxpaw rushed over to Fallenpaw, who padded into camp after Ravensight.  “So?” She asked, looking at the two toms.  “Did he pass?” 

 

Ravensight let out a hum.  “I’d say so.”  A smile grew on her face as she looked over at the large apprentice.  He gestured with his tail to go over to a flat rock.  The she-cat nodded, the two padding over to it and sitting down.  “Do you know when your ceremony is?” she asked.

 

Fallenpaw shook his head.  “Probably later today, since Ravensight is going to speak with Sparkstar now.”  He lifted a paw and started licking it.  Foxpaw started helping him, grooming his back until the fur shined in the sunlight.  Three familiar kits padded up to the two apprentices.  

 

“Why are you grooming Fallenpaw?” Thornkit asked, tilting his head.  

 

“His warrior ceremony is today,” Foxpaw responded, leaning back once his back was groomed.  “He does have to look nice for it.”

 

“Really?!” Frostkit asked, her eyes wide.  “What’s your warrior name gonna be?” 

 

“I don’t know,” Fallenpaw meowed.  

 

“I bet it’s gonna be Fallenpath,” Thornkit meowed.

 

“Maybe Fallenstrike,” Onyxkit supplied.

 

“Fallenheart?” Frostkit tried.  

 

“They all sound great,” Foxpaw purred.

 

News of Fallenpaw’s warrior ceremony spread around the camp like wildfire.  Cats were passing by him, nodding to him as they passed or giving him a quick ‘congratulations’.  Swifteagle was the only one who bothered to stop in front of him and have a decent conversation, even if it was only ‘I’m glad to be sharing a den with you soon’ before padding off.  Stormflame also stayed a bit longer than the others, even if it was only because his kits were still playing in front of the two apprentices.

 

Finally, at sundown, Sparkstar appeared at the top of the tower.  “May all cats old enough to walk the stones gather beneath the Ancient Tower for a Clan meeting!” he yowled.  Foxpaw purred in encouragement to her friend before she went to join Moonleaf at the entrance to the Medicine Den.  Thornkit, Frostkit, and Onyxkit ducked inside, but Foxpaw noticed them peeking out to watch the ceremony.  

 

Fallenpaw’s pelt shone in the dim sunlight as he sat proudly in the clearing.  When she had first met him, he was already large, but now he was fully grown, and the largest cat in the Clan.  Maybe in all the Clans, and if he was, she wouldn’t be surprised.  His muscles rippled under his pelt, hardened from many moons of hard and constant training: the forbidden training from before his apprenticeship and Ravensight’s own harsh training.

 

“Ravensight,” Sparkstar began without preamble.  “Is Fallenpaw ready to become a warrior?” he asked.  Ravensight nodded.

 

“He’s better than most cats here,” he meowed, and even if that was supposed to be insulting, he said things like that so often that it didn’t even make a cat blink.  Sparkstar narrowed his eyes, but nodded as he looked up at the sky.  

 

“I, Sparkstar, leader of MossClan, call forth my warrior ancestors to look down upon this apprentice.  He has trained hard to understand your noble code, and I commend him to you as an apprentice in his turn.”  Sparkstar turned his eyes down to the large tom.  “Fallenpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?”

 

“I do,” Fallenpaw’s answer was confident, so much of it oozing out of his voice that Foxpaw almost thought it was Chesterpaw speaking for a heartbeat before she remembered that he had left the Clan.

 

“Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name.  From this moment on, you shall be known as Fallenspirit.  StarClan honors your intuition and intellect, and we welcome you as a full warrior of MossClan.”  Sparkstar leapt down from the Ancient Tower and set his muzzle on his head, Fallenspirit licking his shoulder in response.  

 

“Fallenspirit! Fallenspirit!”

 

Foxpaw felt joy fill her as she chanted her friend's- no, _brother's_ new name.  It was about time that she started saying that.


	23. Chapter Twenty-Two

“Bye, Foxpaw!” Thornkit meowed, pausing the three kit’s game of moss ball as all three of them turned their heads towards the two leaving Medicine Cats.  

 

“See you tomorrow!” Onyxkit added.

 

“Tell StarClan we say ‘hi’!” Frostkit put in, a happy flick in her tail.  Foxpaw let out a ‘mrow’ of laughter, dipping her head to the kits as she followed her mentor out of camp.  Moonleaf shook her head.

 

“Those kits will be the death of me,” she meowed.  

 

“We’ve been fine so far,” Foxpaw added, her voice a bit muffled by the herbs they had promised to bring Emberflick last moon.

 

“Yes, when Fallenspirit was an apprentice and had more time to help us,” the white cat meowed.

 

“And now they have moss ball, too.  At least they’re not digging up the Elder’s den, anymore.”  Moonleaf nodded in agreement.

 

“At least they’re a moon old, now.  Soon enough they’ll be off training,” Foxpaw’s ears twitched as she heard some reluctance and worry in her voice.

 

“But?” she urged.

 

“But it will be hard for Onyxkit,” she mewed.  “Yes, she’s strong and smart, and her hearing and smell more than make up for her lack of sight, but that doesn’t mean that she won’t get a hard mentor or that moving around our territory will be easy for her.”  Foxpaw thought for a few heartbeats.

 

Her proving herself at being a great Medicine Cat for the Clan was one thing, but if she was a warrior? That was a whole different story.  The Clan would look at her completely differently, she would be living the life that she wanted, even if she didn’t have Riversong on her side.  Or maybe she would, she guessed that she would never know.  She would have respect, and she had a feeling that this whole process of having to prove herself would be going much faster.  The same could be said for Onyxkit.

 

“I think she’ll do alright,” Foxpaw meowed, trying to sound confident.   _ She has to, _ she silently added.  Moonleaf tossed a glance backwards towards her apprentice, tilting her head, but saying nothing as she kept padding towards the ScarClan border.  Neither cat said anything else, but just sat down at the border when they reached it.  They didn’t have to wait long for the other Medicine Cat.  

 

“Hello, Emberflick,” Moonleaf purred.  The tom dipped his head in reply to the she-cats.

 

“Moonleaf, Foxpaw,” he meowed, in his usual greeting.  

 

“We brought the feverfew you asked for,” the older she-cat meowed as Foxpaw set down her bundle.  The ginger cat nodded in response.

 

“Thank you, we still haven’t found a new plant.”

 

“How did you run out, in the first place?” Foxpaw asked.  “If you don’t mind me asking.”

 

Emberflick shook his head as the three cats started walking across the MossClan-ScarClan border.  “I asked some warriors to go fetch me some, and they brought me the whole plant, not knowing that would stop any more from growing.”  The apprentice nodded.  

 

“Sometimes you just have to treat warriors like new-born kits,” Moonleaf purred.  Emberflick let out a purr of his own, nodding in agreement.  

 

“Yes, you do, don’t you?”  Foxpaw zoned out the rest of their conversation, eager to get to see Falconclaw, then to get to the Moon Fall.  Maybe Riversong had some new advice for her.  They left the Clan’s territory behind them as they padded forward, easily approaching the river ahead of them.  They reached it and crossed the stepping stones, Foxpaw’s eyes lighting up when she saw Falconclaw.  

 

“Hi, Falconclaw!” she meowed, starting to realize that she liked LeafClan cats.  The tom purred, dipping his head to her.

 

“It’s good to see you, too, Foxpaw,” he purred, rising to his paws as Emberflick jumped from the last stone to the shore.  The four cats continued towards the Moon Fall.  “How are the kits?”

 

Foxpaw let out a sigh.  “Exhausting.  I finally managed to get them into moss ball, but they never seem to be tired.”  Falconclaw blinked before something flashed in his eyes.   _ He must have forgotten that MossClan doesn’t have any other queens, _ she thought.  “I wonder how the queens put up with it.”

 

“Maybe they get stamina from warrior training,” the tom suggested.

 

“Maybe they’re just really determined kits,” she countered in a grumble, making the Medicine Cat let out a ‘mrow’ or laughter.  

 

“Maybe they are,” he agreed.

 

The cats quickly reached the Moon Fall and padded down to the pool at the bottom, the mist soaking their fur.  No cat spoke as they drank some of the water, then curled up to sleep.  Foxpaw felt the same cold that she had felt before, then opened her eyes on StarClan territory to see Riversong in front of her.  She sat up and dipped her head to the StarClan cat.

 

“Hello, Foxpaw,” he greeted.  “I see that Onyxkit has gotten her confidence up.”  

 

She nodded in agreement.  “I didn’t know that moss ball and would do that, but you were right,” she meowed.  “She is just a kit.”

 

“Unfortunately, it will only get harder the older she gets.”

 

“Like… if she gets a mentor that thinks she’s weak,” Foxpaw meowed.  Riversong didn’t respond for a few heartbeats.

 

“She’ll have many difficulties in her warrior training,” he meowed.  “One of which might be that her mentor doesn’t understand her blindness.”

 

“Might?” Foxpaw asked.  “What does  _ might _ mean?”  A small smile grew on the tom’s face.

 

“Spoilers,” was his simple answer before Foxpaw jerked awake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who have yet to notice (all but one person who has commented)... here are my fandom references. I also have one more coming.
> 
> Chesterpaw= Dean Winchester, Supernatural  
> Fallenspirit= Sam Winchester, Supernatural  
> Ravensight= Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock  
> Swifteagle= John Watson, Sherlock  
> Roseleaf= Rose Tyler, Doctor Who (Yeah, I killed Rose :D)  
> Stormflame= Tenth Doctor, Doctor Who  
> Riversong= River Song, Doctor Who
> 
> I'm also planning on making a cat based off of the Eleventh Doctor, and I think I unintentionally made Foxpaw Charlie Bradbury from Supernatural. Surprisingly, no Doctor Who isn't my favorite of these shows, it's Supernatural. I also know that I haven't had that much of these characters, but I'm planning on giving Stormflame a very important role later on, along with Swifteagle. And even though Ravensight hasn't been in here much since Foxpaw was a kit, I think we can all agree he has made an impact.


	24. Chapter Twenty-Three

Foxpaw let out a yawn, stretching out her muscles from her sleep.  The sun was high in the sky, but she wasn’t as awake as the rest of her Clan.  Neither was Moonleaf, who was still asleep.  She guessed that was the downside of going to the Moon Fall, but when Riversong wasn’t being annoyingly vague, he was pretty helpful.  If it wasn’t for him, she would have panicked when she first saw the cloudiness in Onyxkit’s eyes, and she would have taken Snowypaw’s and Driftpaw’s idea of running away to ScarClan.  But she had things to do in MossClan.

 

The apprentice sat down and lifted her paw to her muzzle, starting to groom herself before Frostkit ran over to her, almost stumbling over her paws with every other step.  Foxpaw still hoped that she would grow out of that clumsiness when she was older, because (while it was a part of her that the Medicine Cat had adapted to), it wouldn’t help her when it came to hunting and fighting.

 

“Morning, Foxpaw!” Frostkit meowed.  “How was the Moon Fall?”

 

Foxpaw shrugged.  “It was fine, I guess,” she meowed.

 

The kit tilted her head.  “But isn’t talking to StarClan supposed to be amazing?”

 

“It can be frustrating,” she meowed.  “But you know that I can’t go that much into it.”  She dragged her paw over her muzzle.  

 

“Aw,” she complained, before perking up.  “Spiritbreeze moved into the Nursery!” 

 

“Really?” Foxpaw asked, pausing in her grooming.  “Did she say who the father was?”

 

“Ashflare,” Frostkit meowed.  Foxpaw nodded, glad that the kits would have a father.  “Shouldn’t you check in on her, or something?”

 

“I’ll go with Moonleaf when she wakes up,” her mind went back to the incident that was Roseleaf’s kitting.  While it did result in the kit in front of her, as well as two others that she had grown close to, it also resulted in a death.  “I’m not too experienced in the field of kits.”

 

“But didn’t you know that she was having kits before the rest of us?” 

 

The red-furred apprentice shook her head.  “No, she must have gone to Moonleaf when I was out.”  Foxpaw turned her head to watch as Snowleopard and Duskpaw padded into camp, a rabbit hanging from Snowleopard’s jaws while Duskpaw carried a squirrel.  She ignored them, turning her eyes back to Frostkit.  “Where’s Thornkit and Onyxkit? With Fallenspirit?”

 

She shook her head.  “Blazestorm sent him out on a border patrol, I think they’re playing hide and seek.”

 

Foxpaw tilted her head.  “Why aren’t they letting you play?”

 

“Thornkit says I’m too clumsy to be the seeker,” the kit meowed.   _ So he really is turning out to be like the rest of MossClan… even when he’s so close to me, and pretty close to Onyxkit. _

 

“And when you’re hiding?”

 

“That I’m too hard to find,” the she-kit purred.  Foxpaw purred along with her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, like everyone else, I have school. My first day got so bad that I took a five hour nap that even food couldn't wake me from. What I'm trying to say is that I'll have a harder time updating.


	25. Chapter Twenty-Four

"I bet Ashflare will be my mentor," Thornkit meowed, his chest puffing out.

"Why do you think that?" Stormflame asked.

"He's a great fighter! Sparkstar _has_ to make him my mentor!" their father let out an amused purr.

"I think Flowstream will be my mentor," Frostkit meowed. "She's nice."

"Well, if she's your mentor, chances are Ghostheart and Amberbreeze will be Thornkit's and Onyxkit's," Stormflame told his kits.

All three kits shuddered. "I don't want Ghostheart as my mentor," they meowed in sinc. _Good,_ Foxpaw thought, from inside the Medicine Den where she was organizing herbs with Moonleaf. _Ghostheart couldn't handle one of those three as his apprentice, anyway._

"You have that look again," Moonleaf warned.

"What look?" Foxpaw asked, snapping up her head as she heard Onyxkit mention something about not caring who her mentor was.

"The one you have when you're thinking something bad about a Clanmate," her mentor told her. "I'm not expecting you to _like_ all of the Clan, I don't," she purred the last two words, "but we do have to deal with them."

Foxpaw let out a sigh. "Yeah, I know, it's just…" she trailed off.

"It's just?" Moonleaf urged, turning her attention away from the herbs in front of her.

"So many cats hate me, and I'm supposed to treat them." The white she-cat just shook her head.

"I think that your opinion on that will change after they come back from a battle, or when we have a bought of greencough," she meowed. "I'm just glad the Clans are peaceful, for now."

Foxpaw shrugged and turned back to her herbs. "If you say so," she mewed.

It didn't take long for their work to be inturrupted again: this time with Fallenspirit padding angrily into the den, his tail lashing back and forth.

"Are you alright, Fallenspirit?" Moonleaf asked, tilting her head.

"LeafClan's been stealing prey," he growled. "We found their scents on our side of the border, and smelled prey with them."

"Well, there goes that peace you mentioned," Foxpaw meowed. "Better luck next year, though." Moonleaf shook her head in response to her apprentice.

"Have you told Sparkstar?" she asked.

"Featherfire is now." The two Medicine Cats nodded.

"Relax, Fallenspirit," Foxpaw meowed. "Sparkstar might not know what he's doing most of the time, but he's definitely not going to give away our prey."

"I'm not so sure about that," Fallenspirit grumbled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Depending on where you live, you might have heard about the seventeen year old kid who was hit and killed on September 21st. The person who got hit was my older brother.
> 
> I'm not really okay, but I feel better when I'm doing something, so I'm not putting any of my stories on hiatus. When I have the time to write, I'd actually expect more updates, but that also depends on that day and how I'm feeling.
> 
> Scott was a great brother. He played guitar (he was amazing at it), he couldn't handle jumpscares, the only name we could agree on for our future cat (that I now have) was Moon Unit, I had to pay him so he would stop saying 'bow down to your president' (but I also got a Sunkist out of that dollar), and he would never leave a room I was in without saying 'bye' twice.
> 
> If you want to learn more about him as a person, go read by two-shot Bow Down To Your Leader. I originally wrote it for a competition thing, but I also didn't want his personality to get lost in all the news stories.


	26. Chapter Twenty-Five

"He's doing nothing," Foxpaw told herself in disbelief. "He's actually doing nothing."

"I told you," Fallenspirit meowed, padding up to the Medicine Cat apprentice. "I don't have much faith in Sparkstar, I'm surprised that you have more faith in him than I do."

"Technically," Moonleaf meowed, "he said that he was going to wait and see if LeafClan was going to continue to steal prey."

"Of course they are!" Foxpaw growled. "If we just let them take from us, it's basically leaving a fresh-kill pile at the border!"

"Exactly," Fallenspirit agreed.

"Foxpaw, can I talk with you for a moment?" Moonleaf meowed, standing up and gesturing with her tail. Foxpaw sent a confused glance towards Fallenspirit.

"Sure, I guess," she meowed as Moonleaf led the way into the Medicine Den. The white she-cat sat in front of her, curling her tail around her paws.

"You're thinking like a warrior," she meowed. "You need to think like a Medicine Cat."

Foxpaw blinked. "...I have no idea what you're talking about." Moonleaf let out a sigh.

"Medicine Cats stand above Clan rivalries, remember?" Moonleaf meowed. "I'm not saying that it's right for LeafClan to steal prey, but you have to think of another reason for them to be stealing prey other than for the fun of it."

"But… it's Leaf Fall. They should have a lot of prey, shouldn't they?"

Her mentor shrugged. "Maybe prey left their territory early, maybe they're scared for Leaf Bare. They do have new kits, just like we do, and they have to provide for their Clan." Moonleaf got to her paws, padding past Foxpaw towards the den's entrance. "You have to think like a Medicine Cat," she repeated.

* * *

It had been a quarter moon: a quarter moon of Sparkstar forcing his Clan to play the waiting game with LeafClan. Of course, they did continue to steal prey, but he did nothing. Foxpaw did her best to think like a Medicine Cat, but it was hard. Insults against LeafClan cats kept springing to mind, and her tail lashed at the thought of the barely checked border.

"May all cats old enough to walk the stones, gather here beneath the Ancient Tower for a Clan Meeting!" Foxpaw turned her head to look at Moonleaf, then padded out of the Medicine Den and sat outside of it.

Sparkstar was standing on top of the Ancient Tower, an impatient aura surrounding him as he watched his Clan gather. "Well, hurry up, we don't have all day!" he yowled. The warriors and apprentices quickened their pace, sitting in front of their leader.

"As you've all brought to my attention, LeafClan have been stealing prey. I believe I've let the matter sit for a bit too long." The cats ears perked, leaning forward and waiting to hear what Sparkstar would say. "We attack at dusk!" The Clan broke into cheers. Blazestorm padded into the throng of cats, his voice rising above the cheers.

"The cats going will be Sparkstar, Cloudwhisker, Featherfire, Snowleopard, Ashflare, Stormflame, Goldenapple, Ravensight, Ghostheart, Flowstream, Fallenspirit, Lonepaw, and Duskpaw," he announced. "The rest of us will stay here and defend camp."

Moonleaf stood and stretched, flicking her tail back and forth. "Get the herbs ready," she ordered. "We're definitely going to need them."


	27. Chapter Twenty-Six

Foxpaw let out a sigh, waiting outside the Medicine Den. The moon was high up in the sky: her mind whirled with questions about what was going on with the cats sent to LeafClan. Fallenspirit was sent to fight, and Moonleaf had sent Thornkit, Frostkit, and Onyxkit to sleep once they started yawning too much to form a complete sentence.

"They'll be fine," she almost jumped at the sound of her mentor's voice, and snapped her head back to look at the other she-cat. "Battles rarely end up with anything other than scratches and bites."

"I just want to know what's going on," Foxpaw meowed, resting her head on her paws.

"You will," Moonleaf meowed, sitting down next to the red-furred she-cat. "There are battles when they'll send a Medicine Cat, you know."

Foxpaw's ears perked in interest, and she adjusted her head to look at her mentor. "Really?"

Moonleaf nodded. "Not to fight, of course, but they're battles we can't afford to lose. They'll send us along, and you'll be able to watch." The thought seemed to make her mentor uncomfortable, but for Foxpaw, she guessed it was better than nothing.

She snapped her head up as the camp entrance rustled, then Sparkstar padded into camp. Foxpaw couldn't tell what he was feeling: it was like he had a stone face over his own. Even his golden eyes weren't showing anything. All the other cats, however, looked defeated. Sparkstar looked around at every cat in camp.

"We won," he meowed simply.

Snowleopard padded into camp last, a limp body hanging from his jaws.


	28. Chapter Twenty-Seven

"Duskpaw?" Willowlight whispered. Foxpaw could hear the heartbreak in her voice. "Duskpaw!" she screeched, leaping forward. Fallenspirit and Flowstream bounded out of the crowd, holding back the distraught she-cat as Snowleopard padded into the center of camp, laying the body of his apprentice down.

"We need basil and rosemary," Moonleaf meowed softly. Foxpaw nodded, padding into the Medicine Den. She was careful not to make enough noise to wake the three kits inside as she grabbed the herbs in her jaws. She padded out of the den. Moonleaf led the way towards Duskpaw, taking some of the herbs from Foxpaw. "Groom away the blood and use the herbs to cover the scent of death," her mentor told her.

Foxpaw immediately set to grooming the stained-crimson fur around Duskpaw's throat.

Once that was done, she joined her mentor in rubbing the herbs on his fur. It almost looked like he was sleeping. Moonleaf pulled away the fur stuck between his claws with her teeth, before the two cats padded away. The rest of the Clan padded forward, and started his journey to StarClan.

"Usually, the Elders would do that, but we don't have any at the moment," Moonleaf meowed. "Although, I've heard rumors about Cloudwhisker planning on retiring soon."

Foxpaw had heard stories from Fallenspirit about why Cloudwhisker was planning on retiring. Cats in MossClan didn't retire until they absolutely had to, because if they didn't it would be taken as a sign of weakness. The oldest warriors were the age of Elders in the other Clans, and the younger warriors would jeer at them if they missed a piece of prey, or if they got more scratches then they did in a fight.

"Now we need to treat all the other cats," Moonleaf meowed. Foxpaw nodded, padding towards the marigold and grabbing it in her jaws.

She left the den and padded towards Fallenspirit, who was sitting away from the rest of the Clan. He showed his side to Foxpaw, which was dripping with blood.

"He seemed fine at first," Fallenspirit told her as she chewed on the marigold. "Then he jumped in front of Lonepaw to try and protect her, and the cat didn't have enough time to…" he trailed off. Foxpaw nodded. Once she was done licking the marigold onto his wound, she turned her eyes to Lonepaw. She seemed to be acting a bit different.

"Maybe I should give her some chamomile," she meowed. "It's for shock," she explained, at Fallenspirit's confused look. He nodded as she pressed cobwebs onto his wound. "Watch my herbs for me, will you?" Foxpaw padded back into the Medicine Den, and got onto her forepaws. She scooped out a herb, before she noticed Stormflame curled around his kits. She leaned forward and sniffed, but it looked like his wounds were already treated.

Foxpaw padded out of the den and intercepted Lonepaw before she made it to Duskpaw. "Eat this," she meowed, gently pushing the chamomile towards her. "It's for shock," she explained again, before she padded away to get her herbs to treat another cat.


	29. Chapter Twenty-Eight

“Foxpaw,” Moonleaf began, looking at her apprentice as the pair padded through the forest.  “Have you ever heard of the Story of Three?”

 

Foxpaw turned her head to look at her mentor, a look of confusion covering her features.  “You mean Jayfeather, Lionblaze, and Dovewing?” she gave a soft, internal shudder.  “I’ve always hated Dovewing.”

 

“I do, as well,” Moonleaf purred.  “Maybe it’s just because she’s the youngest of The Three.  But no, that’s not what I’m talking about.”

 

“Then what’re you talking about?” Foxpaw asked, narrowing her eyes at the she-cat.  She’d noticed that, instead of gaining a stronger build, like the rest of her Clanmates, she had been getting taller, thinner, and lankier.  Moonleaf told her that it was because of the muscles that hadn’t been used, but Foxpaw thought that the explanation was a bit farfetched.  If anything, her build seemed more like a LeafClan cats, but she wasn’t quite tall enough for that yet.

 

“Follow me,” Moonleaf ordered.  She turned in a different direction, padding farther into the forest until the two she-cats emerged into a place that Foxpaw was fairly familiar with.  The smell of catmint entered her nose, and she looked at the large, stone structure that she and Lonepaw had explored.  The older Medicine Cat padded into the mouth of the structure with no hesitation, looking down at the blocks.  “We call them climbers,” Moonleaf explained, bounding her way down the stones.

 

Foxpaw followed after her mentor, eager to see the inside of the structure again.  She took her time, looking at around at the smooth, reflective stones around her and feeling the cold floor under her paws.  The two arrived at the gates, which were once again, open.  Moonleaf padded inside the room, letting Foxpaw follow her.

 

“From what we’ve seen,” Moonleaf meowed, “this is where Twolegs take their dead.”  

 

The words hit Foxpaw with a pang.  The place suddenly didn’t seem as interesting to her anymore.  

 

“Sit down, Foxpaw,” the Medicine Cat meowed, sweeping her tail out in front of her as she, herself, sat down.  “This is a… hard story to hear.”

 

Foxpaw sat down in front of her mentor, taking another look at the boxes with the strange markings on them.   _ Are those… names, maybe? _

 

“This is a story about a cat named Madcry,” Moonleaf began.  “Of course, that wasn’t her original name, that one has been lost to time.  As soon as she became an apprentice, MossClan realized that there was something…  _ wrong _ with her.  She was smart, incredibly so, but she was insane.  She saved lives, but she nearly killed a cat every time she tried to.”

 

“Was she a Medicine Cat?” Foxpaw asked.

 

Moonleaf shook her head.  “Just a warrior.  An incredibly smart warrior.  Her name was changed to Madpaw fairly early on in her life- the leader at the time was a strong believer in our names reflecting who we were.  It didn’t seem to affect her much, however, she was still the same.

 

“During Madcry’s lifetime, we were in a war- one of the worst.  Of course, she was born  _ into _ the war, but she was born into the worst part of the war.  There was a battle with either ScarClan or LeafClan every moon, or if we were unlucky, we would get both in a moon.  But, like I said, Madcry saved plenty of lives, while almost ending others.  Most of them weren’t from this Clan, and she only killed a cat once.

 

“The cat was a cat from ScarClan.  Madcry seemed to be affected by his death- she wouldn’t eat, she wouldn’t sleep, and when the next ScarClan death was announced she seemed to be expecting it.”

 

“You said she only killed one cat,” Foxpaw argued.

 

“She did,” Moonleaf meowed.  “But according to the story, this ScarClan cat was killed in battle, just like the first.”  The red-furred she-cat nodded in understanding.  

 

“The last cat killed was a MossClan cat.  Again, Madcry seemed to be expecting it.  After that third death, the deaths just… stopped.  The war ended soon after, but Madcry didn’t recover.  She still hunt and fought for us, but it had no motivation.  

 

“One night, she woke up the whole camp with her yowling.  She was yowling about how we were all just supposed to say goodbye to the ones that we loved, and that violence was just going to get worse, and that we all had to pray to StarClan for the cats who were suffering.  One cat padded up to her, and tried to calm her down, telling her that the war was over, but she started snarling at him, telling him that there was so much more than just  _ one _ war.  She’d seen so much more than just  _ one _ war.

 

“The Medicine Cat pulled her into her den, along with the leader and deputy and ordered her to explain.  She started muttering about dreams, and seeing cats dying in threes, and that there was nothing we could do to stop it, before she kept going on about praying for the ones that we loved.

 

“Eventually, Madcry...  _ recovered _ , but she was never quite the same.  In the next season cycle, three more cats died, this time all from LeafClan.  The next season cycle, three more, from ScarClan.  

 

“Madcry gathered up a small following- cats from outside the Clans that were on her side with trying to stop the Curse of Three, as the Clans had started to call it.  There was a she-cat named Pond, a tom named King, a she-cat named Bright, and a tom named Rock.”

 

“We remember the loners names, but not the Clan cats names?” Foxpaw asked, her ears low.  Moonleaf let out a purr of amusement.

 

“The four cats followed Madcry almost religiously, but they were clearly gaining something from following her.  The warrior was close to her followers, from what the story stays- maybe she gave them a new perspective at life, or just a friendship they hadn’t been offered in a long time.”

 

“Madcry led the cats into MossClan territory, and directly into camp.  The leader padded up to her, barely casting a glance at the loners behind her, and asked what this was about.  Madcry told her that they were going to put a stop to the Curse of Three, just so long as no cat attacked the four loners.  

 

“Instead, the leader immediately attacked Madcry, and was leapt at by Pond and King.  Bright dragged Madcry away from the fight, while Rock got ready to fight.  All four of them yowled to Silverpelt that if they were going to fight Madcry,  they would have to attack them first.  And they did.  The four loners and the warrior fought valiantly, but they didn’t last long against the larger Clan.  All five bodies lay in camp, un moving.  

 

“Every cat could hear Madcry’s voice ringing in their ears: ‘Now you’ve really given yourself a curse.’  The next day, a kit had sneaked into the Medicine Cat den and ate a deathberry.  He was dead before the Medicine Cat could get to him.”

 

Foxpaw blinked.  “Are you trying to say that… Roseleaf and Duskpaw died because of the Curse of Three?”

 

“Roseleaf? No, that was a natural death.  Duskpaw? Yes.”

 

“But… there’s been a two moon distance between their deaths, hasn’t there?” Foxpaw asked.  “All the deaths in the story were in the same moon.”

 

“The deaths are spaced out depending on the circumstances,” Moonleaf explained.  “We were in a time of peace when Roseleaf died, and all of our cats are healthy.”

 

“Anyway,” Moonleaf continued.  “After those deaths, things were looking up for the Clan.  Prey ran better, the weather was warmer, and there were no more…  _ disadvantaged _ kits born in that season.  The Clans came to the conclusion that after all of this tragedy would occur, it would be a time for rejoicing.  For spending time with our Clan, and to teach apprentices, and just calm down.”

  
Moonleaf leaned a bit closer to Foxpaw.  “I know what you’re trying to do, Foxpaw-”  _ oh, StarClan, what did I do wrong- _ “and the Clan  _ should _ change.”  _ Oh, thank you, StarClan! _ “As horrible as it is, your best chance is to try your hardest after the third death.”


	30. Chapter Twenty-Nine

_ Foxpaw watched as a light and dark brown tabby she-cat curled up, almost instantly falling asleep in a familiar den.  She noticed a few stray poppy seeds in front of the she-cat.  Foxpaw looked around the den.  The den was a bit different- it looked as if a few shelves had been destroyed, and some marks on the stone were gone.  There were also more nests in the main part of the den then there was now.   _

 

_ There were three other cats in the den.  One of them was a white she-cat with light gray paws, ears, tail, and muzzle, with golden eyes.  One of her paws was twisted.  Another was a black she-cat with bright green eyes, and the last was a ginger tom with white paws, tail, and chest with dark eyes. _

 

_ “Firesource,” the black she-cat meowed.  The ginger tom flicked an ear.  “Go reassure the Clan.  Madcry will be staying with Stormflower until she has recovered- well, as much as she can.”  The tom dipped his head. _

 

_ “Yes, Shadestar,” he meowed, padding out of the Medicine Den.  Foxpaw took another look at the tabby she-cat. _

 

_ “So that’s Madcry…” she murmured to herself.   _

 

_ “Stormflower,” Shadestar meowed.  “What’s your opinion?”  _

 

_ Stormflower shrugged her shoulders.  “My only assumption can be that StarClan showed her something.” _

 

_ Shadestar narrowed her eyes.  “Why her?”  _

 

_ “StarClan is strange, Shadestar,” Stormflower meowed.  “For all we worship them, we can only assume so much about their actions.” _

 

_ Shadestar thought for a heartbeat before nodding.  “I suppose you’re right.  StarClan is almost frustratingly intricate with what they say to us.”  Shadestar stood and turned her head to look at the warrior.  “But what did they share with her?” _

 

_ “I think…” Stormflower followed her leader’s gaze.  “That they showed her every war that the Clans will ever fight.” _

 

* * *

 

Foxpaw jerked awake, sucking in deep breaths.  She could feel three kits sleeping at her side who must have moved during the night.  “It was just a dream,” she murmured to herself.  “Just a dream.”

 

“What did you dream about?” Foxpaw snapped her head to look at a drowsy-looking Onyxkit.  She had lifted one of her paws to rub at her unseeing eyes, and was letting out a yawn.

 

“It was just a nightmare,” the red-furred she-cat told the kit.  “Don’t worry about it.”

 

Onyxkit shrugged her tiny shoulders before setting her head down.  Foxpaw followed after her, and quickly fell asleep.

 

_ But why did I dream about Madcry? _

**Author's Note:**

> Want to submit an OC for the other two Clans, ScarClan and LeafClan? (Keep in mind, the Medicine Cats, Leaders, and Deputies are all filled positions)  
> Name:  
> Gender:  
> Personality:  
> Looks:  
> Rank:  
> Other:


End file.
